Prides & Prejudices
by AKAJipster
Summary: A slave suspected of spying, a human refusing to help and a lady on a mission.
1. Part 1

Title: Prides & Prejudices  
Author: AKA Jipster  
Archive: Only Command Deck  
Disclaimer: I don't own what no longer exists sob - This is not a clever play on the book of similar name, it bears no relevance to that book in any form, just a cheap shot at a humourous title...  
Rating: PG-13  
Setting/Season: Mid Season 4  
Spoilers: Mid Season 4 & earlier possibly  
Warnings: Violence, torture, angst a plenty, sexual themes  
Comments/Feedback: Please, love to know what you think

Summary: A slave suspected of spying, a human refusing to help and a lady on a mission.  
Harper and Beka's friendship is put to the test when a mission she is trying to complete is hindered by his refusal to co-operate.  
Harper's refusal to help however, is soon tested when Beka's mission decides to only trust in the Harper and then theres the small matter of the Nietzschean pride from which the slave was taken...

A/N: Alternative universe, with some nods towards cannon.

Part 1

The marketplace was bustling with people, all going about their business. Market traders yelled out their bargains with a few people stopping to take in their wares, other people carried goods that far exceeded their size but with minimum effort. There was so much colour and activity in the confined space that it was easy to miss so many of the people who walked past.

"Tell me again who we are looking for," Beka Valentine requested towards her companion for the mission, Telemachus Rhade.

"Her name is simply Dani," Rhade stated as he continued to scan the busy square.

"And she's this Nietzschean's slave?" Beka questioned.

"Did you fall asleep during the captain's briefing?" Rhade asked with mild amusement.

Beka glared at him. "No, I just do not fully understand what we are doing on this dump of a planet, looking for someone who no doubt belongs to a very big Nietzschean who will most probably object to our attention being on his slave," Beka complained and then sighed. "I can see why Dylan dumped this mission on me, that, and maybe because he's preoccupied with the world ship's arrival," she added awkwardly.

"You do know that you're beginning to sound like Harper, right?" Rhade simply shrugged in response. "Our attentions are on the slave because we believe she is more than that," Rhade spoke and saw Beka's eyebrows rise. "You really were not paying attention were you?"

"I had a late night and maybe nothing about this mission particular caught my interest," Beka protested mildly. "Especially the part about being in charge of it."

"Well from the Commonwealths surveillance information, it appears that this slave is either a spy or a messenger, both of which could be of use to the Commonwealth if we could intercept her," Rhade informed Beka.

"Ah right, which is why once we make a sighting we're to wait until she leaves her Niets side before engaging," Beka remembered and saw Rhade appear surprised. "See, I did pay attention," she smiled.

"Correct, I'm glad you have caught up," Rhade half mocked. "If suspicions are correct about this slave, then we might be picking up a very valuable asset to the Drago-Kasov pride."

"Suddenly it all sounds too easy," Beka feared. "Why this mission, couldn't Dylan just have waited for a nice sitting on a beach type mission for me? Even taking on the Magog seems more appealing right now, do we really want to risk engaging with the Dragans with everything else we have going on?"

"The Dragans have no reason to believe that we have identified this arm of their operation, and besides, that's exactly what they are probably thinking so this is a perfect time to remind them that we have not allowed the world ship to become our only concern," Rhade said with confidence. "I do not foresee the problems you so obviously do, sir," Rhade added in mocking tones.

"Except that we have no reason to believe that they are not aware that we know," Beka countered with a brief smile.

"True," Rhade conceded. "But I do not like to give the Dragans that much credit."

"Is that her?" Beka suddenly gestured towards a slight woman who walked alongside a burly looking Nietzschean, showing off his bone blades to determine his arrogance and superiority.

"That's her," Rhade confirmed. "And that's the alpha male of this sectors pride, Yussuf, so her next assignment must be pretty big for Yussuf himself to visit this place with her, we should now wait for them to make their move."

"Dani, by my side." Yussuf ordered and the slight woman stepped into line beside her master. As she stood waiting for instruction, people pushed past her, knocking her from side to side until Yussuf took her to one side and out of the flow of people. "You stay here, understand?"

Dani nodded her head.

"Someone who knows your name will make themselves known to you shortly, you will then obey them and follow them, they will then take you to the meeting point," Yussuf explained with precise care. "In five days time you will arrive at the meeting point, and you will then meet with Kharaz and you will tell him what you know."

Dani nodded her head once again. Yussuf leaned forward and kissed Dani lightly on her forehead. "My dear Dani, you serve my pride well, return to me when you are able."

"Yes master," Dani confirmed.

Yussuf moved his hand to Dani's neck, and in the blink of an eye administered an injector to her exposed skin. Dani's eyes floated momentarily before she regained her composure, looking at her master she simply stared at him with respect, before Yussuf moved away and disappeared into the crowds.

Dani remained standing where she had been left, she glanced with wonder at the sights around her, taking in their detail. With her long unkempt hair freely resting around her shoulders, the slave looked every bit like she often slept rough and owned nothing to call her own. Her expressionless face offered very little to the passers by, and her appearance masked her presence as she managed to remain unnoticed by the people walking by.

"Dani?"

Dani's eyes snapped to her right and settled on a large Neitzschean male who now stood before her.

"My master," Dani stated calmly, remembering her master's words.

"Follow me," Rhade indicated with urgency and with Beka's help they walked either side of the slave and tried to obscure her from any casual glances they may attract.

Beka scanned the area for any unwanted attentions but found none. "You know, suddenly I like this mission," she smirked as they easily led the slave towards the Maru. "We just need to get the info we need, and my missions a success."

Rhade briefly shook his head towards his commander, amused by her sudden zest for the mission, but in part glad that she was finally taking it seriously, as they boarded the Maru without incident with the slave obediently in tow.

A few moments later back in the market place, another Nietzschean reached the spot where Dani had just been stood, and his confusion was clear to see, as he frantically looked around.

TBC


	2. Part 2

Part 2

Dylan Hunt stood on the hanger deck of the Andromeda, and surveyed the newcomer with caution, as expected she acted very much like a slave would, standing close to Rhade and not making eye contact.

"Dani, you are safe here, and you are free on board this ship," Dylan announced softly, sensing the slaves uncertainty. "We do not wish for you to be a slave during your stay here."

"We haven't been able to get her to react to us yet, captain," Rhade informed Dylan.

"I think she's too well versed in accepting us as her superiors," Beka frowned sadly. "She wont talk, only obey," she added with an air of frustration.

Dylan stepped forward and lifted Dani's chin up so he could attempt to make eye contact. "Dani, my name is Captain Dylan Hunt, we are hoping that you will be able to help us."

For a moment Dani's eyes narrowed slightly, giving away the first hint to her awareness of her surroundings.

"Take her to med deck for now, let Trance check her out to ensure she's in good health, then we'll try to make her feel comfortable enough to talk to us," Dylan ordered towards Rhade. "And good work the two of you, you did well," Dylan added towards Beka and Rhade.

"You gave me this mission, Dylan, I'm not going to mess it up," Beka stated confidently.

"That's good to hear," Dylan said with a hint of amusement, before leaving the deck.

Rhade stared at Beka for a moment, and Beka couldn't ignore it. "What?" she asked.

Rhade frowned. "I glad that you finally accept that this is your mission, maybe now I won't have to carry you so much," he hinted with a secret smile.

"I appreciate your help, Rhade," Beka smirked and then frowned. "To be honest I didn't think we had a chance of getting this girl, slave, spy whatever she is, away from Yussuf, but now we have, it's my mission now," Beka insisted. "I'm not going to fail, I will find out what she is, and what use she can be to us," she stated assuredly.

"That's commendable commitment," Rhade observed.

"You know, Rhade, I've done some more research on this Yussuf guy, do you know that there are rewards being offered to the person," Beka looked at Rhade. "Or persons, who bring down Yussuf's empire?"

"I am aware of these rewards," Rhade agreed cagily.

"So this is my mission," she strongly indicated.

"Our mission is to discover how this girl fits into Yussuf's plans," Rhade reminded Beka. "Not to bring down his empire," he added slyly, whilst making sure the slave wasn't able to eavesdrop their conversation as they left the hanger deck.

"I know," Beka defended. "I just have a feeling that we could be already half way to possibly denting Yussuf's operation," Beka revealed and looked at the girl who walked ahead of them. "This girl, she holds the key, I just know it and I'm not going to rest until I discover what her secret is, at whatever cost," Beka insisted and left the deck.

"I'm sure the Commonwealth will salute your efforts," Rhade offered with mild amusement.

* * *

"What do you mean she wasn't there?" Yussuf screamed in anger.

The room went silent, allowing the alpha male to strut around the room with fury blazing from his pores, and he glared at the messenger who had informed him of the news.

"Dani does not wander off, she is too well trained," Yussuf confirmed. "Are you sure they went to the correct place?"

"I double and triple checked, sir, I even went with them to the meeting point, she wasn't there," the messenger stated.

"Then where is she?" Yussuf exclaimed loudly, his arms gesturing his confusion. "Less than an hour ago I left my lovely Dani in the market place, out of the way, she understood my instructions, and she gave me no reason to doubt her."

"The market place has surveillance, we will study that in the hope of gaining more information about her disappearance," the messenger confirmed.

"Do that," Yussuf stressed with obvious distress. "We can not afford to lose Dani, she is an asset unlike any other I have. She is carrying information that could potentially be very harmful to me, and to Dani."

"We understand your concerns," the messenger bowed as he exited the room.

* * *

Trance smiled as she walked around the newcomer and she put a reassuring hand on the girls arm, sat on a cot on med deck. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you," she said softly, and the girl said nothing in reply.

Trance made the move to scan the visitor, but Dani quickly showed fear to Trance's actions forcing the alien to stop, for fear of Dani hurting herself.

"I won't hurt you, I just need to ensure you are in good health," Trance soothed but she could see if made little difference, the girl was clearly afraid of Trance's motives and actions, she couldn't even raise the scanner to the girl at distance without the slave getting frantic.

"I can determine that Dani is as healthy as can be expected of a slave," Rommie stated as she appeared on a screen nearby. "Although my scans are just cautionary, I do not believe Dani to be a health risk, not even to Harper."

Trance took a deep breath with the information Rommie had presented. "Well, you appear to be in good health then, I see no reason to further traumatise you today," she conceded, hoping that she would get a closer more in depth look at a later stage, before she glanced at the security team. "Escort Dani to the guest quarters and await further instruction," Trance ordered, and the team moved towards the slave, giving her space as they gestured to Dani to follow them.

* * *

"So is she hot?" Harper asked as he settled down at the meeting desk, Dylan had called a meeting and for once Harper had managed to arrive in good time, enough time to quiz his friend.

"Harper," Trance responded with disgust, as they settled down into their chairs. "She's traumatised and very afraid."

"I might have a chance then," Harper joked but could see Trance didn't share his amusement so immediately backed off.

Dylan walked into the room with Beka and Rhade following, and they took their seats with Rommie, Harper and Trance looking on.

"Trance," Dylan began. "You were unable to proceed with the medical?"

"Every time I got near to the girl she freaked out," Trance recounted. "But Rommie's scans determined that there was no threat, health wise."

"Same happened to us, the whole freaking out thing if we got too close," Beka spoke up. "We'd try to talk to her but she was too afraid to speak to us, she doesn't seem comfortable and shows classic signs of having been conditioned for slavery."

"She is a typical Nietzschean's slave," Rhade now spoke up. "Never speaks, not even to her true master and if she does speak, it's only when she feels completely safe that it's ok to do so," he explained with care. "Like if she is responding to an order or command," Rhade added.

"Nietzshean slaves, oh boy, are they ever on my list of people not to invite to a party," Harper remarked. "It's a waste of time even talking to them," he stated, and crossed his arms.

Rhade simply glanced at Harper before continuing. "This experience, the new environment to what she is use to, you will find that she will not question why she is here," he continued. "But the fact we're asking nothing of her, I believe that it's bound to cause issues with Dani's trained mentality, she will be confused," Rhade thoughtfully offered. "However at this time, she does willingly go where ever you wish for her to go, she will follow and be led, and she doesn't resist."

"She only resists when we talk to her, ask her questions," Beka spoke up. "We did actually wonder if maybe her instructions from her master was simply to only follow, go where you are asked to go. Hence why we are getting nothing else from her and why it was so easy to get her to come with us in the marketplace," Beka picked up.

"She has responded, in part to you though, Rhade," Dylan checked.

"Only out of respect I believe, for being the person who found her, but I haven't been able to get her to talk or even eat," Rhade shrugged.

"More like she's copped an eyeful of your bone blades, and bingo, instant respect," Harper spoke up casually, but with a hint of spite as he crossed his arms. "Trust me, slaves are always respectful of those things, no matter who wears them."

"That's not really true in your case," Rhade said with amusement.

"Hey, I'm not a slave," Harper reminded him bluntly, taking offence to Rhade's words more so than he would normally. "I'm an equal and don't you ever forget that!" he stated firmly, surprising those around him.

"In your twisted mind maybe you are," Rhade couldn't help but remark, although aware that he had touched something of a raw nerve in the human.

"Bonehead," Harper snapped and looked away, showing disinterest now in the meeting.

Dylan took a deep breath to signal his growing intolerance towards the two sparring crewmembers. "So suggestions?" he asked finally, once he was happy that Harper and Rhade had finished.

Rommie leaned forward a little. "If we pamper her a little, maybe she will come out of her shell and realise that we are the good guys?" Rommie suggested.

"Coming from a war ship that's almost a scary suggestion," Harper commented with a sly grin, before continuing, his tone showing a frustration. "Look, you can give her all the bubble baths a chick might need, it'll make no difference to a conditioned slave. Besides, even if she does take the comforts it will be because she'll feel its what you want, and what you want is what she wants, she's a slave and keeping you happy keeps her away from the hand that beats her."

"We need suggestions, Harper, not your opinion," Beka now spoke up, her tone suggesting the seriousness in which she was taking her mission.

Harper threw Beka an angered stare. "In a couple of days, when you're banging your head against the walls because this slave is not responding to you, then you'll realise just how helpful I'm being here," Harper stressed, then sat back indicating his position on the subject. "This mission is a waste of time, trust me."

There was silence in the room for a moment as Harper's words settled, both Beka and Dylan deciding whether to react to Harper's statement or let it go. Trance sensed the atmosphere forming and decided to speak up.

"Dani is obviously afraid of Rhade as well as respectful, she sees him as her temporary master," Trance stated, as she glanced around the table. "In Beka and Dylan she senses their authority and power, something she is trained to instantly respect, and never question or talk back to, and in me, she's unsure of what I am, but my position as someone who helps others, in her mind, could place me above her, and therefore by default she will not speak to me."

"She really sounds well trained," Dylan observed. "And I would guess that Rommie would provide the same reaction."

"Rommie is the entire ship, an android and the voice that controls everything and that can be very daunting to a slave who feels they do not belong here," Trance agreed. "Which leaves Harper."

"What? Whoa," Harper instantly reacted, sitting forward again. "What do you mean that leaves Harper? What's that suppose to mean?"

"Harper, you've already shown us that you have a good understanding of a slave's psyche in the comments you have made here," Trance explained with care. "I think you could help this girl, and in turn help us to progress with our mission."

"My mission," Beka reminded Harper sharply, to emphasise the importance she personally felt towards the success.

"You think I can help this slave?" Harper objected and immediately stood up, as if feeling suddenly threatened. "You're trying to say that out of all of us, that I'm being tagged as the best diplomat for this job?" he said with obvious surprise and a hint of amusement still laced with a surprising growing anger.

"As strange as it sounds, I have to agree," Beka supported Trance. "Harper, you could have a unique insight into how Dani thinks."

"What do you mean by that?" Harper asked abruptly looking confused, and now moving away from the table to pace behind Trance. "Maybe it's because you see me as the lowest life form on the crew, or the closest you have to this slave, or maybe because I'm not like any of you superior beings?" he stated accusingly and ignoring all reason. "Yeah, send in the kludge, he speaks her language," he said with spite now.

"That's not it Harper," Beka attempted to calm the situation, seeing how suddenly worked up the engineer had become, and feeling partially responsible. "I need a breakthrough on this mission, Harper, why shouldn't I turn to you?"

"Turn to me, yes, that's one thing, but asking me to deal with this slave for reasons I can only assume relate to my past, then that's a whole other issue," Harper fumed.

"Harper," Trance now spoke with fondness. "You understand things that we can't possibly relate to, and yes I form that assumption based in part to your upbringing, I believe your experiences could help Dani to form some kind of bond with you, to trust you and help us achieve our ultimate aim with this mission."

"This is a joke," Harper stood still with his hands on his hips, shaking his head to show his disbelief, now clearly looking hurt.

"Harper, this mission is important to me, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't," Beka attempted to find some common ground with the engineer, she didn't like seeing him like this, he looked so insulted and hurt at the suggestion being made and she didn't fully understand why.

Harper now looked distressed, and so cut up as he looked at everyone in turn. "Yeah, so I was a mud foot, you got me on that, and I can't deny it can I?" Harper explained, trying to keep a hold on his growing emotions. "But note the 'was', I'm not going to insult this girls intelligence by making out that I know anything of what she's been through," he spoke with passion. "And just so you can get inside her head," he added firmly. A few seconds later when no one else spoke, Harper felt that he had no choice but to leave the room, fearing he could say something he would regret if he didn't.

Beka looked around the table before she got to her feet. "I'll go talk to him," she offered and quickly went after the engineer.

TBC


	3. Part 3

Part 3

Beka quickened her pace to catch up with Harper who seemed oblivious to her approach. "Harper," Beka finally called out and was pleased to see the engineer stop and wait for her to reach him.

He immediately spoke when Beka caught up with him. "I'm not some counsellor for every Earth reject that come onboard, I don't do that, I didn't on Earth and I sure as hell won't do it here!" Harper seethed, still clearly upset, his hands on his hips as he continued to fight his emotions, as he breathed deeply. "I can't believe that it's even being suggested that I'm the best person to talk to anyone, let alone a slave, me?" he stressed with mock surprise.

Beka waited a moment before responding, seeing how worked up her friend was. "When have we ever asked you to counsel anyone, Harper?" she said calmly, and with amusement.

Harper saw no amusement in Beka's question. "You're asking me to bond with this slave, solely because you think I have some weird connection to slaves?" Harper accused bluntly. "Now why the hell would you think that?" he gestured mockingly with anger, and then turned away.

"First, calm the hell down, and get a grip," Beka warned as she looked sternly at Harper. "And second, this slave is not responding to any of the crew, so why shouldn't we give you a chance to get through to her? You're a part of this crew as much as anyone else," she stated.

"Because last time I looked I was the engineer, the resident genius, I'm not some guest liaison!" Harper snapped, still angered and his mood was no improving.

Beka looked at the state Harper was in and knew it was pointless to even try and get through to him whilst in this mood, and when she tried to put an arm around his shoulders Harper immediately shrugged her away and began to walk.

"Harper," Beka called after him and quickly caught up with him again, and they walked side by side. "Look what is this about?" she demanded loudly. "I've never seen you this worked up over something that no one has even asked you to do yet, it was only a suggestion, and one that we now know you object too, so fine!" Beka blasted.

"Good," Harper snapped, his pace was quick as he continued to walk with Beka alongside him.

Beka had had enough. "OK, we have got the damn message, Harper, so quit the spoilt brat routine, right now!" Beka yelled, her patience now used up, and she was ready to start yelling at Harper to get to the bottom of his objections.

Harper was however more than ready for the spat, and he stopped to face Beka head on. "Trance suggested it, and you supported it Beka, it's your freaking mission, and no one objected to me being asked!" Harper loudly responded encouraging the argument. "How the hell do you think that makes me feel?" he demanded. "I'll tell you, even smaller than I actually am! It's like," Harper then paused mid-sentence, needing to take some breaths, but words then failed him as he tried to regain his momentum, and retain his composure.

Beka also took some calming breaths; she hadn't expected Harper to be so up for the fight, and knew one of them had to remain focused. Harper was right, it was her mission, and so she decided to be the first to back down.

"Ok," Beka sighed to attempt recovery of her own composure. More calmly, she spoke. "So tell me what the problem is here, this isn't just about the fact it's not your job," Beka stated firmly, staring at Harper intently, looking for any signs in his expression that might help her. "We've always worked as a team before, so how come you're no longer so willing to help us, more importantly to help me? Come on, how often does Dylan give me my own mission, this is my chance, Harper, to show him that he doesn't always have to be the one to make the tough calls, or lead us," she said with passion.

Harper finally looked away, and took a moment before looking back at Beka with a calmer expression, and it appeared that her words now had seemingly got through to him, but his own words were still angered as he spoke. "So if I chose now to remind you that you're just a freighter captain, and not some high guard academy trained captain, with no qualified right to lead this mission, how would you feel?" he questioned with bitterness.

"Like crap, and ready to knock your head of its shoulders for even suggesting that I can't do this," Beka honestly responded.

"Exactly," Harper justified. "I just don't appreciate the suggestion that's all, that because I'm from Earth, that I'm 'at one' with all the low life in this universe," he seethed, and looked down at the deck for a moment. "I escaped that hell to be accepted for who I am, not what I was," he added pointedly, but more able to control his reactions now.

"For goodness sake, Harper!" Beka exclaimed, rapidly losing her patience again at Harper's argument. "Are you seriously suggesting that after all this time you have not been accepted for who you are?" she demanded sharply, with hurt in her voice. "We simply felt you might offer a different approach to helping us to get through to this girl, but if you're going to be like this then we know not to even bother asking you for help again, Beka turned and began walking back down the corridor.

Harper sighed loudly and looked upwards momentarily, and in a split second he regretted his actions and his words, realising he might have misjudged the situation badly and that he had upset his friends in the process with his attitude.

"Beka, stop, I'm sorry," Harper quickly offered before Beka had got too far away, and she stopped, before turning back to look at him, and he seemed awkward now in his actions. "I'm just not keen on speaking to the slave, ok? That's all this is about, nothing else," he stated, but he knew his words were now laughable, his voice pitiful and he expected to hear Beka mock him now.

Beka slowly walked forward, but she showed no sign of amusement only of concern and Harper felt even more regret, as she spoke. "Any reason why, or is today just a bad day?" she asked calmly.

Harper didn't respond immediately, he brushed his hand through his hair and looked awkwardly around the corridor. After a few moments he looked back to Beka. "It's hard, you know?" he offered cryptically.

"No," Beka admitted.

"You all know the crap I came from," Harper explained, his voice soft now almost vulnerable, as he showed some frustration in his movements. "No doubt you all think poor little Seamus Harper, genius he may be but still that kid from Earth, twenty years of hell, tough break," he explained now with more animated passion but his expression soon became sterner. "Well maybe I don't want any of you thinking that about me, and maybe I felt you no longer did, maybe," Harper emphasised his words now. "Maybe I thought that I had finally moved on and my past was now irrelevant, and that you now think, Seamus Harper, he fixes stuff, he's cool, he's a genius, a love god," Harper enthused with passion.

"Scrub that last one," Beka said with a brief smile.

Harper finally found a smile. "Do you know what I mean though?" he asked genuinely, needing Beka to understand.

"I think so," Beka frowned. "Harper, the suggestion that you maybe talk to this slave, it wasn't made with any disrespect to you. Hell, if I knew you felt this way about things, then I wouldn't have just sat there saying nothing when Trance suggested it, I certainly would not have supported it," Beka moved closer now. "Harper, no one on this ship pities you, and we don't look at you as anything other than who you are, and that's the best damn mechanic in this known universe."

Harper frowned, and then closed his eyes for a moment. "Maybe I was a bit hasty, I know that," he offered firmly and with control, but still showing a touch of anger. "But I just get so frustrated sometimes," he stated.

"Why?" Beka asked with interest, as she gestured to Harper to follow her into a side room to sit down, and she took the seat beside him.

Harper sat down and rested his head in his hands as he tried to sort his thoughts out. "I don't know exactly why I reacted like that to the suggestion," he admitted quietly. "But when Trance suggested it, I just exploded inside, it made me so mad," he offered lifting his head up so he could look at Beka. "I felt like I was only being asked because you all saw me in the same light as this slave, don't ask me why, I don't know but that's how I felt and I acted on that."

"Do you still feel that?" Beka asked.

"No," Harper sighed, and then smirked. "It's me," he finally admitted. "I guess no matter how hard I try, I just can't let go of my past, it's always there bugging me," he frowned and let his head drop.

"And bringing this slave from Earth on board," Beka prompted.

"Just keep me out of this one, please?" Harper requested, without looking up.

Beka didn't respond and she simply placed a hand on Harper's back, as she stood up.

"I know I owe a couple of people an apology for my actions," Harper added with a touch of regret. "And I'm not purposely trying to mess up your mission, I know its important to you to crack this one," he said and finally looked up again to look at Beka.

Beka kept her hand on Harper's back and began to soothingly rub it. "Harper, don't worry, if anything I think we owe you an apology," Beka smiled with assurance, she then took his hands into her own. "And I am fairly certain that the reasons you may think we had for asking you, are not the reasons why you were asked, would Trance really be that insensitive towards you, Seamus?" Beka offered wisely.

"I know," Harper sighed with regret. "You won't tell her I thought that, will you?" he checked with concern.

"I won't tell her, I know now that we were asking something of you that you shouldn't have been asked to deal with, and maybe we should have considered your feelings a little more before suggesting it," Beka reasoned. "On the other hand maybe the reason we didn't take any of this into consideration is exactly because we do not see you how you are saying we do," Beka offered softly, her arm still around Harper.

Harper now seemed down as he considered her words. "I can be so freaking stupid sometimes," he simply complained, now angry with himself.

"You're not stupid, anything but," Beka countered encouragingly. "And in part on some subconscious level, maybe you were right, would we ever ask you to play diplomat or counsellor in any other situation?" Beka offered, as she gently squeezed her arm around his shoulders. "It wouldn't even be a suggestion normally, so we all misjudged."

"So now you're saying I can't do it?" Harper countered defensively, then smiled with amusement, as Beka lightly hit him.

"Forget the suggestion was even made, Harper, I'm sure the others have, and I'll figure out a way to win this girl's confidence and succeed in this mission, so don't worry about it," Beka smiled confidently.

"Thanks," Harper simply returned.

Beka observed Harper for a moment, but she couldn't quite figure out what he was feeling now. He appeared in part embarrassed by his outburst, but there was still a fury about him that she couldn't quite explain, he appeared so tense.

"I'll call by later, and we can go grab something to eat, ok?" Beka suggested and Harper simply nodded his head and he got to his feet to return to work, with a frown Beka left him to it and she began to formulate alternative plans to succeed with her mission.

* * *

Harper spun the tool once more in his hand, all day he had been trying to perfect the action of spinning the tool and returning it to his belt in one fluid movement and he'd almost cracked it. He was now walking along one of Andromeda's many corridors and stopped what he was doing on hearing voices, and he soon worked out that he could hear Dylan, Rhade and Trance ahead.

"Any progress on Beka's new obsession?" Dylan was heard to ask.

"Nothing new to report on the mission," Trance answered, picking up on Dylan's meaning. "Dani is still not eating, drinking or responding to any of us, not even Rhade now," Trance finished.

Inside Harper tried not to react to her words as he approached, they hadn't spotted him yet but it was only a matter of time, as he got closer to their position. He had kept a very low profile since his outburst the previous day and he was still in no mood to try and explain himself, he wasn't entirely sure why he had reacted the way he had to the suggestion, but the fact of the matter was that he had, and he couldn't change that now.

As it was her mission, Beka had tried to broach the subject again with him during dinner, but Harper had successfully steered the conversation away each time. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Beka; he just couldn't deal with this situation and had no desire to try. The slave brought up too many issues with him from his past, that he didn't want to deal with.

With his back to Harper, Rhade began to speak. "It's almost as if she has no idea who we are now, even though it was just yesterday that we brought her onboard."

Dylan then glanced down the corridor and spotted the Harper approaching, an unspoken command was made between the three with their eyes to cease speaking about the girl, only Harper was already more than aware of what they had been discussing, and guessed Beka had spoken to them about his apparent sensitively towards the current mission.

It looked ridiculous, Harper considered, three of command crew including the captain, just stood in the corridor discussing the environmental controls now, making out everything was fine and Harper had no need to worry. With the briefest shake of his head, Harper decided to broach the forbidden subject, if only to show them he wasn't going to totally cut himself off from the mission, he was still a part of the crew after all.

"Still no luck?" Harper idly asked. "With the girl?" he added to show he had caught some of their earlier discussion, allowing them to drop the act.

Their surprise to his words was fairly obvious, but Trance wasted no time in updating Harper, she seemed encouraged by his question. "None of the usual techniques are working, we can't get close to her without causing her distress," Trance responded calmly.

Harper couldn't hide his own confusion in his reaction. "Never heard of that before," he offered with a casual shrug. "Normally slaves are at your beck and call, terrified of the consequences if they do not obey," he frowned.

"Any suggestions?" Rhade asked, knowing he could be stepping on potentially shaky ground by asking Harper the question, and both Dylan and Trance stared at Harper closely to check his reaction, almost fearing the worst.

Feeling the sudden attention on him, Harper hesitated. This had been the first time he had spoken to anyone bar Beka, since his little strop, and now he knew his every word and movement were being closely observed, as if he now had become their mission as well.

With a shrug, Harper composed himself and looked at them all in turn. "I don't know," he stated finally. "You're trying to keep her fed, and warm with a roof over her head, normally that's enough to win a slaves trust in the short term," he frowned. "Look I have little experience with slaves, so I don't know," he stated defensively and began to move away.

"There's something different about this slave, but I'm not sure what exactly," Rhade put forward, to show his own thinking and at the same time try to keep Harper in the discussion, Harper stopped and listened. "Remember that we suspect that she is also a spy, but she shows no sign that she thinks freely or acts freely, has nothing about her person that would say she was exchanging information. Our surveillance has determined that she has made no attempt to even check her surroundings, she has done nothing that would be consistent with that of a suspected spy," Rhade explained. "But she also shows an unwillingness to serve, unlike a typical slave in her situation."

Harper looked at Rhade as he digested the new information, this slave was certainly proving to be a bit of puzzle and he had always been a sucker for solving puzzles, usually in mechanics or engineering, but maybe he could stray for a while.

"Does she speak at all?" Harper asked, and the reaction from his colleagues showed him their surprise to his sudden curiosity in the subject.

Trance smiled slightly, seemingly pleased by the fact that Harper was showing more of an interest now in their dilemma. "Doesn't talk, move, eat or drink, the only action she has done since coming aboard is sleep and walk when we order her to."

"Maybe we're focusing on the wrong thing here," Harper stated, his mind now racing with possible answers to the puzzle. "What was her destination? If we assume she is a spy, what was her intended target? What information is she seeking or possibly carrying?"

"There is no way to determine that information," Rhade objected lightly. "Until we can communicate with her, we will never know."

Harper could see the logic in Rhade's answer, but felt there was still information to be gain that they had yet to find out, without the need of talking to the slave.

"Have the Dragans reacted at all to her disappearance?" Harper asked.

"There's been statutory bulletins requesting any information on her whereabouts, they have distributed shaky images of myself and Beka leading her away, but nothing clear that we'd be recognised," Rhade half smiled on that detail.

"We have studied the surveillance feeds from the market place," Dylan stated. "And Beka has investigated a Nietzschean who seemingly tried to find Dani after we had already led her away from her location," Dylan added. "Turns out he's from the same pride as Yussuf, works as a courier, so its clear he was to transport Dani to a new location but the purpose of that, and the destination is still not clear to us," Dylan updated the engineer of their progress as he understood it, after an earlier meeting with Beka.

"And because they don't have Dani there's no way to know, right?" Harper figured, and realised that they really were hitting a brick wall in progressing with this investigation. "And this Nietzschean," Harper began.

"Has disappeared," Rhade confirmed before Harper had a chance to finish his question.

"We felt that securing Dani would give us all the information we required," Trance stated.

"She's good," Rhade said, almost with admiration. "The more we are unable to make her react to us, the more she convinces me that she is a spy, and a well trained one at that."

There was an awkward silence for a moment between them all, before Harper made to move away to continue his work. "Ships don't fix themselves, thankfully or I'd be out of a job, so I better get back to work," Harper offered with fake brightness, and he walked away.

They let him leave without further word and he was thankful that they did, knowing that he still didn't want to get too involved with their new pet project.

* * *

Yussuf allowed his full frame to show his anger as he paraded around his office with fury. It had been nearly a whole day since his beloved Dani had disappeared, and the two people who had led her away had not even been identified, let alone found.

"What business do they have with my Dani?" Yussuf screamed, but his minions offered very little in explanation. "If they hurt her, I will not rest until their bones are crushed and scattered on that fire," he gestured wildly to the fire burning brightly in the open fireplace at the far end of the room. "Even if they don't hurt her, I will still crush their bones. Anyone lays one finger on my Dani, they deserve to die!"

A smaller Nietzschean cleared his throat before speaking. "Maybe they discovered her true worth, her abilities?"

"And how would they?" Yussuf demanded. "It's our best kept secret, that girl's talent was a gift to me, it was not discussed with idle tongues!"

"Maybe we're being watched by another pride, or maybe one of our past contacts has been heavily leaned on?" the smaller man continued.

Yussuf turned to his flunkies and he glared at them all in turn with fury clear in his determined eyes. "You find out who talked, you find my Dani, and you make sure whoever has caused this pays with their life!" he screamed. "Do I make myself clear? At any cost you will not fail me!"

The minions all sat back slightly, before agreeing to their master's orders, and they all quickly left the room determined to find Dani.

TBC


	4. Part 4

Part 4

Trance stepped into the guest quarters and as expected she saw Dani sat in exactly the same spot where they had left her, where she had been since the security team had led her into the room. Only this time, her head rested on the table as she slept.

With a concerned look, Trance considered trying to scan her whilst she slept, but her common sense and fear prevented her taking this action, knowing that if Dani was to awake whilst she was doing this then she would never trust them, and it wouldn't surprise her to discover that Dani was a light sleeper.

Andromeda had determined that their guest was healthy enough not to be a concern, and Trance was happy to accept that for now. Trance's main concern lie with Dani's mental health, and the fact that she was able to remain in the same stationary position, and not take any food that was offered, Dani's self discipline appeared to be extraordinary.

Trance then felt a drop in the room's temperature and looked around. "Andromeda, is the room temperature ok?"

The hologram of Andromeda appeared suddenly. "I am detecting slight fluctuations on this deck, this is an old problem," Rommie revealed. "I will inform Harper that it is happening again."

Trance looked at Rommie closely. "Be careful how you inform him, his natural suspicion might think we have purposely set this up, considering," she advised glancing at Dani.

"To fix the problem, Harper would not need to visit this room," Rommie informed her. "He has no reason to be suspicious."

"I'm just a little concerned about him lately," Trance offered. "His reaction to all this, I don't fully understand it, so just tread lightly, please?" she asked.

"Very well," Rommie agreed and disappeared.

Moments later Dani awoke and immediately reacted with doubt on seeing Trance stood in the room. "Good morning, Dani," Trance smiled softly, being careful not to make any threatening movements.

Dani simply stared at her before assuming her usual sitting stance, another day it seemed, and Trance feared it would offer nothing new, as she frowned at their guest's non co-operation.

* * *

Removing a panel with ease, Harper was in familiar territory as he kept himself busy and out of the way in a conduit. The mood on board the ship lately had been subdued, and he knew that he had partly caused the current tension that existed. The slave was a great distraction to the crew, and he was keeping out of the way, but when he did appear all talk stopped and he was treated like some child that no one wanted to upset for fear of another tantrum.

With a sigh, Harper concentrated on the list of repairs Rommie had prepared for him, and he focused on one in particular that had caught his attention. The temperature controls on deck twelve fluctuating once again. When Rommie had first mentioned this repair it had sounded normal enough, until she made a point of also noting that it was Trance who had detected it, whilst in the guest quarters. Harper being the genius that he is, guessed that Trance had been visiting the slave, had Rommie not mentioned Trance he would not have made the connection that this repair affected the guest, and now he knew, it played on his mind.

Retrieving his link cable, Harper slotted the jack into the panel before connecting the other end to his port. Seconds later he was in Rommie's mainframe, and checking the temperature controls for deck twelve. The actual problem itself was easy enough to fix, but his curiosity was growing. Since she had been on board he hadn't so much as looked at their guest, he had no idea what she looked like and whilst in this area, he now he had an opportunity to look without the slave, or anyone else knowing.

Once he had conducted the repair, Harper accessed the visuals for deck twelve and pretty soon he had found the guest quarters in question. Looking down on the room, as if hiding in the ceiling, Harper saw the slave for the first time and showed no reaction. Long tangled brunette hair, slight build almost skeletal, what he could see of her face offered him very little. She appeared normal enough but nothing outstanding. Harper was almost disappointed by this, and then he felt static beside him.

"Harper, what are you doing?" Rommie asked as she materialised beside him.

"Just seeing what all the fuss is about," Harper answered distantly, not taking his eyes off the room.

"It's rude to stare, especially when the subject can not stare back," Rommie advised.

"How come no one can break her, she doesn't seem particularly strong or anything," Harper idly remarked.

"We do not wish to break her," Rommie responded.

Harper sighed as he adjusted his position in the mainframe. "If you want to get through to her, you'll have to break her, break her conditioning, her programming," he stated firmly.

"We wish her no distress or harm," Rommie stated.

"I get that, honestly I do, but sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind," Harper stressed knowingly. "Other tactics obviously are not working."

At that moment Trance entered the room, carrying a tray of various fruits and drinks, obviously hoping to tempt Dani into reacting to them.

"Man, if the slave doesn't eat any of that, send Trance my way," Harper remarked with a grin, as he eyed the food.

"Strange, it all seems to a bit too healthy for you to eat," Rommie mocked.

"I eat healthily," Harper protested. "Sometimes," he added and they both watched as Trance began to talk to Dani, her soothing voice however failed to register.

Harper sighed. "It's as if the slave doesn't hear her," he noted. "She's not deaf, right?"

"As far as my scan can determine she has perfect hearing," Rommie confirmed.

Harper observed the exchange some more. "Strange," he commented.

"What?" Rommie asked.

Harper frowned. "Just that Dani shows absolutely no interest in the food yet it must be over forty-eight hours since she has eaten, surely just the sight of food would induce some reaction. I know after that time even I stop to eat," he grinned.

"We have felt the same, we can not explain how she is able to remain completely devoid of emotion towards anything, and so consistently each day," Rommie explained.

"Well, I'm sure you'll work it out," Harper declared and made to leave the system.

"Harper," Rommie caught his attention and stopped Harper leaving. "Why are you so against helping her, and us?"

"Rommie," Harper sighed, and avoided her gaze. "I'm not purposely being difficult, I just don't see how I can help, and besides, it's not my area of expertise," he grabbed his tool belt. "Me engineer, remember?"

"Understood," Rommie decided to drop the discussion, and she crossed her arms as Harper left her system and returned to his own body.

* * *

Rhade checked his readings a couple more times before speaking, and he glanced over to Beka who stood to his right on the command deck, to get her reaction.

"Beka, it would seem we finally have some action from Yussuf," Rhade confirmed.

"What have you got?" Beka asked eagerly, and made her way over to where Rhade stood.

"A communication from Yussuf himself, to the local authorities," Rhade spoke up. "It would seem he is very eager for the safe return of his slave, and that all should be done for that return."

"No real surprise there," Beka was forced to admit.

"Two men have already been killed in her name," Rhade then revealed. "Suspected of acts against Yussuf," Rhade frowned. "Beka, the two murdered men did help the Commonwealth with their enquiries in this matter."

Beka flashed an air of regret at the news. "Dani is obviously missed, but as yet we still don't know her true worth, we can't even talk to her."

"Maybe her silence is her true worth," Rhade remarked. "She doesn't talk she doesn't reveal secrets."

"Maybe there are only a few people she is allowed to speak to," Beka considered.

"And I can guarantee those people she is permitted to speak to, will not speak to us," Rhade stated.

Dylan joined Beka and Rhade, having over heard their discussion from his post. "Maybe we should let her go, return her to Yussuf, she seems in good health and at no risk, if anything Yussuf seems quite taken by her, protective even," Dylan shrugged.

"You have got to be kidding, Dylan," Beka protested.

"We are learning nothing new, and her staying here is serving no purpose," Dylan offered.

"You wouldn't be saying this if this was your mission," Beka remarked. "And if she is this super spy that we suspect she is, are we not returning to Yussuf his greatest weapon?" Beka questioned, clearly not happy with the plan.

"She is a human being, Beka, not a negotiating tool or prize," Dylan stated firmly.

Beka did not respond and instead returned to her post, leaving Rhade to continue scanning the sector for more information that could help them, Dylan moved away and returned to his console, he then noticed Harper keeping himself to himself at the back of command and wandered over.

"Boss," Harper acknowledged, as his hands danced over the console in front of him.

"Mr Harper," Dylan hesitated before continuing, glancing over to Beka. "Can I talk to you about Dani?"

Harper stopped what he was doing and took a moment before looking up. "Sure, look I'm sorry for the way I reacted the other day, discuss I can do, so long as it doesn't involve me making nice with our guest."

"I promise you never have to be on the same deck if that suits you," Dylan confirmed. "But I don't understand your reluctance to meet her, usually you can't wait to try your luck with a female guest."

"Well she's all yours this time, boss," Harper smirked, but saw that Dylan wanted a more serious response. "Ok, look, it's nothing against her personally but I've seen so many of my people, family, friends become nothing more than yes sir, no sir slaves that I don't need to see anyone else in that state, I prefer to just forget, ok?" Harper explained quickly without elaborating further, he had given the matter a lot of thought and that was the best explanation he had, and all the while he remained focused on the console he was working on.

"Makes sense," Dylan was forced to admit, knowing that he wouldn't get any more from the engineer. "Yesterday when you stopped in the corridor to speak to us, you seemed surprised by what we told you, about her actions," Dylan carefully explained. "I was just wondering if you had given the situation any more thought, maybe have any ideas about what we can do?" Dylan asked. "At this rate we're going to have to hand her back to Yussuf."

"Hand her back?" Harper questioned quickly unable to hide his surprise, and for the first time he looked at Dylan.

"What else can we do? We do not want to hold her here against her will," Dylan explained.

Harper considered the question, remembering back to distant times in his life. With a resigned sigh he shrugged. "I'll think about it, maybe I'll remember something, but I never really got involved with this stuff before, so no promises," he offered. "I just remember that it took a lot of patience to get through to rescued slaves, and it was never easy, it takes time," Harper shrugged. "But I will give it some thought."

"That's good enough for me," Dylan smiled and moved away.

Harper watched the captain return to his console, he then quickly gathered up his tools and left command. The thought of Dylan simply handing the girl back, for some reason, had affected him on a personal level. It was something that Harper simply hadn't expected, he thought Dylan would ship her off to some Commonwealth institute to try and help her, not just hand her back to her master.

As Harper walked along the corridor he considered Dylan's request, but he was not coming up with anything that he thought would help. Whenever he had come across slaves back on Earth he had avoided the issue, other people's problems, he'd had enough of his own to deal with. He had often been accused of not caring, but in truth, he knew he couldn't handle conditioned slaves, they frustrated him for losing control of who they were and he figured it was better for them not to have him around, someone who would without thinking, look down on them for what they had become.

Reaching the desired conduit, Harper quickly entered and tried to focus on his next job but his mind continued to be distracted by Dani's situation. The thought of her going back to a life of slavery, even if it was all she knew, didn't settle well with him. Feeling his humanity, and a sudden desire to stick up for his fellow humans, especially those from Earth, Harper decided he couldn't let giving her back become an option. Harper knew he had to talk to someone about this, before he did anything else.

"Rommie, can you tell me where Trance is?" Harper asked.

"She is in guest quarters with Dani," Rommie's voice returned.

Harper took a deep breath, he could wait, he considered, or he could go and talk to Dylan straight away. "What about Beka?" he then asked, trying to find an alternative.

"Beka has just returned to her quarters to sleep," Rommie responded, and then paused as she retrieved an update. "She is asleep."

"Ok, thanks Rommie," Harper sighed; it wasn't worth waking Beka so soon, knowing that she was putting in extra hours to complete her mission.

"Why do need to see Trance or Beka, are you ok?" Rommie was now curious, as her hologram appeared.

Harper sat back in the conduit looking troubled. "I just found out that Dylan plans to hand Dani back to Yussuf," he revealed.

"I am aware of that plan, he feels no reason to hold her here when no one is benefiting from it," Rommie casually revealed.

"How can you say that?" Harper snapped without thinking, and immediately backed down. "I'm sorry, Rommie," he offered quickly.

"Dylan would not hand back Dani if he wasn't sure that she was safe," Rommie assured him.

"The fact Dani is here means that she's not there, and whilst she's not there, she's not a slave, and that's very beneficial to her," Harper explained with care.

Rommie looked closely at Harper, her sensors told her that his heart beat was accelerating, and she knew that on some level he did care about Dani's situation, but she had to determine in what way.

"Is it just the idea of giving Dani back to her master that troubles you?" Rommie probed.

"Yeah, remember her master, big tyrant in these parts?" Harper mocked, but he was being truthful with his admission, and Rommie had no reason to doubt him. "Rommie, no self respecting person wants to be a slave, and from what I've heard she's pretty well trained so isn't it time she got a break, a new life?"

"I would agree, given the evidence, but we know Dani is no ordinary slave, she's a suspected spy," Rommie countered. "Even being handed back to Yussuf she could still prove useful to us."

Harper shook his head. "So just like that you will throw her back to the wolves," he remarked bitterly. "All in the name of the commonwealth," he added.

"Harper that's not what I was implying," Rommie argued.

"Isn't it?" Harper questioned. "So explain to me again how sending Dani back is of benefit to her."

"Harper," Rommie simply said, but she couldn't answer his question. "I will let Dylan know your concerns about this."

"Don't bother," Harper stated. "Maybe the sooner she's off this ship the quicker things will return to normal," he added, and instantly regretted his own words as he felt pangs of guilt, then inwardly cursed his humanity.

"Trance is now leaving Dani's quarters if you still wish to speak to her," Rommie simply said.

"Thanks, Rommie," Harper returned sharply, no longer in the mood to talk, and he continued his trek into the conduits.

* * *

A few hours later, Beka was returning to duty and had found Rommie's avatar waiting for her as she left her quarters. "Look Rommie if you're going to ask me again to try and explain Harper, I can't," Beka stated, refreshed now after her sleep. "The kid did not come with an instructions leaflet when I got him from Earth, ok?"

Rommie got into step beside Beka as she walked towards command. "Actually, Harper is showing small signs of interest in your mission now, and even signs of concern for the slave."

"He is?" Beka questioned, and then wondered how long she had been asleep.

"Dylan informed Harper that he was considering giving Dani back to Yussuf and Harper told me that he opposed this action, I think the news has affected him more than we would have believed," Rommie stated.

"Sometimes I wish he had come with instructions," Beka sighed, not knowing what to think in relation to Harper's latest actions. "So now he cares enough to voice his objections to Dani being handed back?"

"But he also voiced the opinion that maybe handing her back would return things to normal around here," Rommie remembered.

Beka shook her head and smirked. "Harper has no idea what he wants, does he?" she grinned. "Sounds to me like things are already back to normal around here," Beka commented before looking at Rommie. "Where is Harper now? I should go talk to him, make sure he's ok," she offered.

"He's on deck twelve, making his way to supplies," Rommie confirmed.

"Deck twelve?" Beka raised her eyebrows, knowing it was the deck Dani was located on.

"He does have a supplies store on that deck, Beka," Rommie pointed out.

"And he also has stores all over this ship," Beka reminded Rommie.

Rommie conceded that Beka was right. "That is indeed correct, but he has avoided the guest quarters in question, he is heading straight for the supplies store."

"Ok, maybe I'm jumping the gun," Beka admitted defeat. "I'll catch him there, let me know if he leaves before I get there, I have to just check in with Dylan first, make sure the universe is still in order," Beka called back as she moved forward.

TBC


	5. Part 5

Part 5

Harper moved various pieces of material aside in the store, so he could locate the tubing he required for his next job. It was at times like these that he wished he had the strength of a Nietzshean, and the tidiness of Rommie, noting that his store was a mess. Spotting the tubing that he required, Harper knelt down and carefully edged his way through the gap between various sheets of metal, and other materials to reach his target.

As his hand grabbed for the tubing, Harper held his breath as he heard behind him the sound of the first sheet of material he had moved crash down to the ground, and it then started a chain reaction and before Harper could react practically all of the storeroom's heavy materials started to cave in on him.

"Crap!" Harper panicked as one of the shelf units began to sway dangerously close to him, and Harper had no where to run, bracing himself Harper protected his head and body as best he could, screaming out as everything finally fell on top of him.

The noise ringed in his ears for a while before silence descended once again. With a nervous intake of breath, Harper knew he was trapped. He felt painful pressure points across his back and legs, but to his surprise he didn't feel any pain, before realising that was probably the shock and adrenalin kicking in. Harper focused on his surroundings, and saw the blood dripping from his face to the floor; he felt sudden panic and intense desire to get out.

"Rommie," Harper nervously spoke, his chest was restricted by the heavy weight now on his back, the shelf unit had caught him and now pinned him to the deck.

"Harper, I have help on it's way, Beka and Dylan are two decks away, my android self, with Trance and Rhade are not far behind, hold on," Rommie confirmed, via voice only.

"Holding on," Harper confirmed, and rested his head to the side on the deck, feeling his temperature rising with the closeness of his situation, and trying not to give in to the panic he felt.

Harper was suddenly aware that he was not alone. "Who's there?" he called out, but he was not expecting an answer, the realisation that he was now possibly delusional kicked in.

"I have water," a voice returned, and Harper sensed movement behind him.

"Don't come near here, it's dangerous!" Harper stressed loudly, fearing for his own safety more so than the strangers. "And who the hell are you?" he asked confused, as he tried to catch a glimpse.

"My name is Dani, I heard your scream," she responded, and before Harper could say anything, she was crouched beside him. "Take this water," she said softly, and put the cup to his lips.

Harper didn't refuse and readily accepted the refreshing liquid, once he had taken as much as he could he looked up at Dani with confusion. "They've been trying for days to get you to talk to them, don't tell me all they had to do was have a room fall on top them for you to notice," Harper offered, with a strained laugh.

"I haven't seen you before, have I?" Dani asked.

"No," Harper was quick to respond, but appreciating the distraction.

"The golden one," Dani began before Harper cut her off.

"That's Trance, she's really nice if you give her the time of day," Harper stated, trying to control his breathing.

"You're from Earth as well, aren't you?" Dani questioned, and it sounded as though she was simply attempting to keep Harper talking, as she fussed around him, accessing the damage.

Harper was reminded all too quickly of who he was talking to, and suddenly felt defensive. "How'd you know that, and what of it?" he asked, but quickly grimaced as he felt a shooting pain go up his right side, he held his breath.

"What is it?" Dani quickly asked with concern for him, and then scanned the mess that covered him. "Hang on," she then announced and moved away.

"Don't touch anything!" Harper stressed firmly, his eyes now closed to the pain and restriction, and wishing the others would get there soon, he didn't trust this stranger.

Harper then felt movement behind him, and then a release of pressure from his right ankle. "It's not much but that might make you more comfortable," Dani spoke up.

Harper had to accept that she had alleviated some of the pain. "Thanks," he simply offered.

As Dani completely removed the small piece of sheet metal that had caused Harper discomfort, the doors to the store opened and Beka rushed in with Dylan.

"Dani!" Beka exclaimed with obvious surprise.

Dani immediately backed herself into the wall, and Harper could just about see her now crouching on the floor seemingly unresponsive again. "Dani," Harper spoke with heavy breaths and he was thankful when she looked over. "You can trust Beka, promise," he simply said.

"How did you get there, Dani?" Beka asked seeing the slave had somehow managed to get close to Harper's position on the far side of the store, and on hearing Harper speaking to Dani she wanted to see him herself.

Dani seemed unsure, but another glance at Harper convinced her to respond. "Stick to the edge of the room, you can walk over those supplies without further harming him," she pointed.

Beka saw the route now, and she quickly made her way towards Harper, as Dylan tried to make a start in removing the easier items to make a path towards freeing Harper.

"Hey," Beka greeted when she reached Harper, attempting to be optimistic. "What happened in here? Picking fights with the supplies now?" she joked.

"No," Harper dismissed in good nature. "I thought I had stacked this junk up safely, looks like I didn't, now I'm squashed."

"We'll have you out in no time," Beka assured him, brushing his hair away from his face, she then turned to Dani, it was the strangest time to have a breakthrough with their guest but it seemed the situation had brought Dani out of her room, and self imposed exile. "Dani, I need to help Dylan try and free Harper, would you sit with him, keep him talking?"

Dani seemed unsure and Beka pressed her hand into Harper's shoulder, a silent message that he understood. "Please Dani, talk to me, keep me sane and my mind off the fact I have half the ship on my back," he said through gritted teeth, complying with Beka's silent request.

"Ok," Dani hesitantly agreed and moved closer, her eyes watching Beka's every move before the first officer backed away. Copying Beka, Dani proceeded to brush Harper's hair from his face. "So you're called Harper?" she asked, as Harper tried not to be too freaked out by her touching his hair.

"Yeah, Seamus Harper," Harper responded gruffly, unsure about the slave, Dani, who now sat close to him, she seemed strangely concern by his situation.

"Irish?" Dani then asked with interest.

"American Irish," Harper returned knowing that if Dani was from Earth that would mean something to her, whilst attempting to make the most of the distraction from his situation. "How about you?"

"I'm not sure," Dani admitted. "I was taken very young, Yussuf taught me all about Earth but never about my roots."

"Is Yussuf your master, your keeper?" Harper asked, knowing the name, after all who hadn't heard of the tyrant called Yussuf, but the pain he was feeling was beginning to grab his attention again.

"He looks after me, I work for him," Dani stated, still absently brushing Harper's hair back, but Harper was appreciating her touch more now.

"Is Rommie, Trance and Rhade here yet?" Harper tiredly asked.

"Three more have arrived, Trance, and an uber, and I guess Rommie?" Dani attempted to answer.

"You really didn't pay attention during introductions," Harper remarked, finding amusement in his observation.

"I don't recall an introduction," Dani revealed. "Where am I anyway?"

Harper sighed, in one sentence he was being reminded immediately to why he disliked talking to slaves, it was like talking to a drunk Nightsider, and you went round in circles the whole time. "You're on the Andromeda Ascendant, you were brought here a couple of days ago," he confirmed with a sigh.

"Commonwealth, high guard?" Dani questioned.

"The very same, as we explained when you got here, no doubt," Harper responded, surprised in part by his own tone, and that she knew that much detail about the commonwealth, considering she hadn't remembered the introductions.

"I'm not stupid," Dani suddenly stated, seemingly hurt.

"I didn't say you were," Harper protested, and felt her touch leave his head, no longer brushing back his hair.

"You imply it, I can tell by your voice, I come across it all the time," Dani stated sharply, and Harper sensed her moving away.

Harper attempted to move, as he could fell cramp setting in. "I didn't mean to sound like that," he offered quietly, at least the discussion had been keeping his mind off the pain he felt, but Dani was quiet now and Harper didn't feel he had the energy to convince her that he was sorry, he wasn't even sure that he was.

The weight on top of him was restricting his airways now to a point that he felt tired, and wanted to sleep. He could now feel a sharper pain in his right leg, but the need to sleep was growing too strong.

"Harper?" Dani's voice was heard again. "Harper?" she quickly added before he could respond, and Harper felt her hand on the back of his head again.

"I'm still here," Harper murmured, unable to see Dani now that she was sat the other side of his vision.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap," Dani now spoke with regret. "Sometimes, I just lose my head."

Harper focused on Dani's touch, and voice, still feeling light headed. "It's ok, I admit I'm not my best when talking to," he hesitated for a moment. "Strangers, maybe I should be apologising," he finished honestly.

The hand remained on his back, and Harper took this as a good sign that he hadn't upset Dani again. Then he wondered why it would bother him if he had done, he hardly knew her and within five minutes of knowing Dani she'd snapped at him, and in his view unfairly.

"I don't like slaves either you know," Dani finally spoke, second guessing Harper's original thoughts.

Harper couldn't help but smirk, he had been caught out, and it seemed an obvious response now that Dani has said it. "I guess you don't," he managed, but his voice was becoming more strained.

Dani's hand now became comforting as she continued to stroke his hair, but Harper next heard Trance's voice, as she arrived to check on him.

"Seamus," Trance greeted, and immediately checked the cut on the side of Harper's head, seeing that it had stopped bleeding. "I'm going to give you a pain reliever, Dylan and Rhade have nearly cleared the room, they will begin moving the pieces around you soon, so this should make it more comfortable and less traumatic," she explained.

"Ok," Harper simply responded, and didn't react to the injector being placed at the side of his neck.

"Dani, keep an eye on him, and try and make sure he stays awake, that bump to the head doesn't look too good," Trance instructed, and Dani simply nodded her head without word.

Harper sensed Trance move away, and already he could feel the numbing sensation of the drug she had given him. "You still there?" Harper heard himself asking although he felt like he was floating slightly, but he soon felt Dani's touch again, even though she hadn't spoken for a while.

"Your first name is Seamus?" Dani asked.

"Yeah, but people tend to call me Harper," he responded.

"Can I call you Seamus?"

Harper couldn't think of reason why not. "Sure," he sleepily agreed.

Dani was quiet for a moment, before Harper heard her voice again. "They have reached you, you should be free soon, Seamus."

With Harper facing away from Dani, he focused on her voice to stay awake. She was starting to explain what the others were doing, and he was only vaguely aware of the movement around him now.

"You still with me?" Dani's voice suddenly asked.

"Still here," Harper confirmed.

"The golden girl is coming back," Dani said quietly.

"Her name is Trance," Harper stated, but Dani didn't respond as Trance came into his view.

"Just a few more pieces, and you'll be free," Trance smiled warmly.

"Thanks babe," Harper smiled back, he already felt better for some of the weight being lifted from him.

He could now hear Rhade and Dylan, with Beka struggling to lift the shelving unit back up, Beka made a comment about securing the furniture a bit better that made Harper smirk.

"Can you move?" Dani's voice asked, and she had now come round so that Harper could see her again, and he then realised that he was no longer pinned to the floor. "Don't rush," Dani warned him.

"Give me a few minutes," Harper decided, the drug was still in his system, numbing his senses, and he didn't feel confident enough to move yet.

"Harper," Trance's voice now spoke, and he felt an injector pressing into his neck again. "This will counter act the numbing pain relief, now I've scanned you I can determine that you have no broken bones, just a bump to the head and you'll probably be sore for a few days."

"Well that's something," Harper was relieved, having feared another extended spell on the Med Deck. "I think I can move now."

"Take it slowly," Beka's voice now spoke, and Harper felt both Beka and Trance assisting him as he gingerly started to get to his feet.

"We'll have a chat later about the importance of a clean and organised store room," Dylan stated.

"Sorry boss," Harper grinned, as he got his bearings, and tested his weight on his limbs.

Dylan just shook his head. "Take the rest of the shift off and take it easy for a couple of days," he instructed.

"As if we don't have enough excitement on this ship, playing hunt the runt was not top of my list today," Rhade remarked, in mocking tones.

Harper just glared at Rhade, as he left with Dylan, leaving Harper under the scrutiny of Trance and Beka.

"Now go to your quarters and don't be doing anything but rest," Beka ordered.

"I'm fine," Harper offered defensively, but allowing Beka to take some of his weight as he still found his feet.

Trance now took her turn. "I want to clean that head wound up first, so you're coming with me to med deck, I want to double check that you are ok, are you sure you're ok to walk?" she checked.

"I can walk," Harper was already resigned to the mothering treatment, and was about to leave with Trance and Beka when he saw Dani. "Thanks," Harper simply said towards the slave.

"Do you want to come with us to Med Deck?" Trance asked, but Dani didn't respond, instead she stared only at Harper.

"Come on," Harper gestured having glanced at Beka, remembering her mission, and then back to Dani, as she tentatively moved forward, looking awkward with her movement. "It's ok, I know Beka looks scary and Trance can be a bully, but they really are ok once you get to know them," Harper mocked, receiving shocked glares from his friends.

"I'm not scary," Beka protested.

Harper wasn't concerned by Beka's reaction, and he instead found that he was looking at Dani, who had reacted to his words with a smile.

"But I agree about Trance being bossy," Beka added absently.

"Am not!" Trance now protested lightly.

"Ladies," Harper now interrupted. "We have guests present," he reminded them mockingly.

"Come on Dani," Beka gestured warmly, and they all left the storeroom to make their way to med deck.

TBC


	6. Part 6

Part 6

Harper had long resigned himself to being fussed over on Med Deck, as Trance ran scan after scan over his battered body. Now that he didn't have all of that junk on his back, Harper felt a lot better if a little sore and tired, but he let Trance do what she needed to do.

"I want you to rest but don't go to sleep, at least not for a couple of hours and if you feel any dizziness," Trance began, as she checked the cut on his head one more time.

"I'll yell for my golden princess, don't worry," Harper grinned, as he finished her sentence, showing his experience in that area.

"Don't over do it," Trance warned, giving Harper his sign that he was now free to leave.

Harper jumped off of the cot, and he stretched his aching muscles. "Man, I won't be able to move in the morning," he predicted with a grimace. "Power shower here I come," he then declared.

"Harper," Trance got his attention and subtly gestured to the figure that was hanging about towards the back of med deck.

Harper was suddenly struck by the dilemma he now faced, and it showed in his expression as he looked at Dani. For some reason, Harper had thought that Dani had left with Beka who had gone back to command soon after they had arrived; Dani had been so quiet.

"Dani," Harper finally spoke and looked at Trance for some help, what was he supposed to do, he considered, she had obviously been waiting for him for reasons he couldn't begin to understand.

"Maybe Dani should return to her quarters now," Trance suggested. "Could you show her the way, Harper?" she hinted.

"Yeah, I'll take you back to your quarters, and then I'll go to mine and rest," Harper agreed, thankful to his golden friend for helping him out.

Dani shrugged but nodded her head to agree to the plan and approached him, but she then glanced at Trance with apparent caution.

Harper threw Trance his own confused expression before turning his attention back to Dani, and Trance could tell that Harper had no idea how to deal with the situation. It had been the strangest thing to find that Dani had responded to Harper's accident first, and had even left her room to offer help having hardly moved since she had arrived, adding to that, the fact that she had responded to Harper in a way she had not responded to any one else.

Trance wondered if her initial feeling that Harper could help Dani were now justified, or whether Dani was simply human after all and had responded to a distressing situation like any other, because she had been in a position to act on it and help. Either way, Harper now had the opportunity whether he liked it or not to help Dani, and she wondered how Harper himself would respond to this. A part of her feared that he still wouldn't help, and that he would push Dani away through stubborn means, but Trance had no idea why, as it went against everything she had learned to trust about in Harper.

With a sigh, Trance knew that the day had been traumatic enough for Harper and she decided to let things be for the moment, hoping that they'd work themselves out. They knew now that Dani responded to Harper, so now it was up to Harper, she decided, and she knew it would be harder for the engineer to try and claim he couldn't help.

They walked in silence back to Dani's quarters, it was still only early evening and Harper heard his stomach growl, and inwardly made plans to go and eat as soon as he had dispatched of Dani. Thinking of food however reminded Harper of the fact that he knew that Dani had not eaten since coming on board, and he now felt obliged to at least encourage her to eat, now that he had somehow got her talking and interacting, and seeing as he was going to go and eat anyway, he considered rationally.

How this situation had happened had come as a complete shock to him, Harper was still unclear as to why or how Dani had been the first to respond to his mishap. There was still some reluctance that he felt within him in reaction to Dani, she was a slave and he knew all too well from experience that he had little patience or time to dedicate to helping them, it just wasn't in his nature to be able to help them, it never had been.

Harper had to be brutally honest now that he was in her company, and admit to himself that he was prejudice against slaves, and considered them with a form of disdain; he had always hated slaves and all they stood for. No, Trance would be the best option for Dani he figured, and that his job now was to try and convince Dani of this, and over a light meal.

"Tell you what," Harper began, innocently enough. "I'm going to grab a bite to eat, are you hungry?"

"Starving," Dani revealed enthusiastically, to Harper's surprise.

"Then why didn't you eat?" Harper had to ask. "I know for a fact you were given food."

Dani hesitated before answering. "I only eat certain foods," she offered.

"Then why didn't you just say something?" Harper questioned with impatience, and attitude. "Trance would have prepared whatever meal you wanted."

"I didn't know where I was, I wasn't aware there were options," Dani argued lightly.

"There's always options," Harper stated sharply, as he steered Dani towards the mess deck. "And we have many options, I'm sure we can find something to your tastes."

They reached the mess deck a few minutes later and Harper determined the ingredients that Dani informed him she could eat, and a meal was prepared for her in seconds, they took their choices to the table and they began eating.

Harper watched Dani for a moment with mild amusement, as Dani positively gulped her food down, and he remembered what it was like to get a decent meal after a sizable absence of food.

"Take it easy," Harper warned her, also knowing from experience the stomach cramps you could get from eating too quickly and too much on an empty stomach.

"Sorry, didn't realise how hungry I was," Dani began to slow down, and chew her food.

"There's plenty, the food isn't going anywhere, so you don't have to rush," Harper assured her. "There are no rations here."

Dani looked at Harper closely. "You're speaking from experience," she noted with a cunning eye.

Harper offered an unsettled smile. "It took me a while to adjust to how normal people live."

"Were you ever a slave?" Dani now asked, her voice barely audible, as if they were whispering.

Harper looked at his food, avoiding eye contact. "No, I managed to escape all that," he frowned, unable to look at Dani knowing that she wasn't one of the lucky ones like he had been.

"You were a refugee?" Dani pushed slightly.

"Lived in the camps, under uber control," he revealed cagily, and continued to stare at his food as he was eating it, he wanted to change the subject now. "Look, Dani, this small talk and stuff is all well and good but tell me, what made you come to my aid this afternoon?"

Dani shrugged. "I heard crashing noises, then the sound of someone in pain," she offered with a frown. "I didn't hear any one else going to your rescue so I couldn't just sit there and do nothing."

Harper stared at her, as if looking for any sign that Dani was lying, but she appeared to be speaking the truth. "Why have you decided to only talk to me?"

"I don't trust the others," Dani quickly responded.

"But you trust me, and you don't even know me," Harper returned.

"I know you're a klutz," Dani offered, and then slyly grinned.

Harper just stared at her with amazement. "What did you just call me?"

"The first time I saw you, you were lying under a pile of rubbish, holding some piping in your hand," Dani explained. "It was obvious that you had taken a shortcut to get that piping, regardless of the consequence, or heavy junk that was all around you."

"I don't believe this," Harper couldn't help but smile.

"What?" Dani asked. "Can't a slave make a joke?"

"I've not met one yet who does," Harper countered abruptly.

"Yes you have," Dani simply grinned.

Harper shook his head. "Look, you can trust this crew, they are the good guys, I wouldn't be here if they weren't."

Dani looked at Harper with interest. "So now you want me to trust you, your judgement?" Dani observed.

"I'm just saying," Harper returned. "This crew are not the bad guys, if they were I wouldn't be talking to you like this," he gestured.

Dani looked at Harper closely. "Call me a cynic, but I get the impression you would work with any crew that gives you food and a roof over your head, regardless of whether they are good or bad."

"You seem to think you know me," Harper returned, his eyes narrowed now, not appreciating Dani's assumptions.

"No more than you assume to know me," Dani countered, and then frowned. "You grew up on Earth, right?" Dani asked, and saw Harper agree. "Lived under Dragan rule, in the camps, poverty, illness and famine, all the good stuff," she continued, and although Harper didn't react, he didn't object to her words. "So, I figure anything's better than that existence, and that you can't afford to be choosy, certainly if it means you get away from that existence, so don't be surprised if I'm not all that willing to take you on your word alone about this crew. I trust you, but I'm not an idiot."

"I got lucky, it happens, it's not always a hard luck story for us humans," Harper simply said, then wondered why he was even bothering to try and convince her of anything, when it seemed clear she'd already made up her own mind. "Look, just trust them ok, that's all I'm trying to say, doesn't need to be an issue," Harper got to his feet and returned his food tray to the counter, he felt angered suddenly and it reflected in the manner in which his tray noisily cluttered onto the counter.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Dani offered quietly behind Harper, who now rested his hands on the counter.

"I've got a bit of a headache, I'm not exactly in a talkative mood right now," Harper explained quietly with a sigh, with his back still towards Dani. In truth he just wanted rid of Dani now, this was why he always avoided dealing with the slaves on Earth, they always got under his skin like this.

"Seamus, maybe I should explain some things about me, but not here, is there somewhere more private we could go?" Dani asked.

"Didn't you just hear me?" Harper asked and she stared blankly at him, with resignation he tried to get through to her again. "Why me?" Harper asked, turning around. "This crew have been trying for days to get you to speak, to get you to explain things about yourself, and they are better trained at this stuff, so please, just speak to them, speak to Trance, she's a great listener," Harper explained with care, as he returned to table. "I'm tired and I just want to rest."

Dani finished her food, and Harper took her tray away before she had a chance to clear it away herself. "I only trust you," Dani then spoke up.

"Why?" Harper loudly demanded, and like before the tray clattered onto the counter surface.

"Why don't you want me to talk to you?" Dani now asked.

"I'm tired," Harper repeated.

Dani considered his response. "I won't talk to the others, I need to tell you some things now, before it's too late."

"Too late?" Harper questioned unsure, and then he remembered the mission, and the fact it was Beka's mission. Dani was presenting him with an opportunity to be in Beka's good books for a very long time, possibly even in debt to him, but he had to ask himself if it was truly worth it. "Do I even get a choice in this matter? You know for a slave, you're very demanding," Harper sneered, with a touch of suspicion and arrogance now.

Dani's expression soon changed to that of disgust. "I'd heard about Earth, I'd been warned," she began. "I heard a lot, but stupidly I made myself ignore a lot of it, because I know ubers can be prone to exaggeration, I'm not stupid," she stated firmly, as she got to her feet. "I was told how slaves are viewed by Earthers like you, I didn't want to believe them but I'm a fast learner, I'm sorry I disgust you so much," she announced and began to move to the exit. "I'll find my own way back, I'm sure I can figure it out on my own," she emphasised the last statement. "You're precious crew will get nothing from me, if you're an example of how good they are, I don't want their so called help, and I let you tell them," she stated.

Harper took a deep breath, feeling caught out and slightly guilty with it, and knowing Trance would probably crucify him for being so rude to their guest when she would undoubtedly find out. He didn't even want to know what Beka would do to him when she found out.

"Dani, wait," he called after her, and saw her stop. "I've had a tough day, ok? Maybe we should just pick this up tomorrow, after I've had some rest and I'm of sounder, more reasonable mind?" he offered awkwardly.

"We're not all that different you know," Dani seemed to be testing his reaction.

Harper didn't respond and just shrugged, although inside he was biting his tongue to hold back what would be his more instinctive response to her comment.

Dani looked sad for a moment. "I really would prefer to explain now, it would make things much easier," she stated.

"I just don't get why you have to talk to me," Harper admitted with a genuine air. "There's other people on board who listen, I just talk, that's my thing," Harper attempted to lighten the mood. "Besides, I've only just met you, going somewhere private just," he shrugged.

"You're not shy are you?" Dani was amused by his awkwardness.

"I don't know you, and you're the mission remember, and in my book that equals trouble on a big scale, and where there's trouble and me, things tend to go boom a lot," Harper explained quickly. "I've just had some incidents in the past that I'd rather forget, where I've been too trusting and all 'yes I'll go with you and let you try to kill me'," he offered with self-disgust at his past naivety.

"Look I just want to explain something to you, I don't want to kill you I promise, I need you to understand, but I want some privacy when I tell you," Dani insisted looking around her, as if sensing the ship.

"And tomorrow I'll be all ears," Harper began to protest again.

"No," Dani insisted. "Tomorrow will be too late and you won't understand anything," she seemed to be growing frustrated with his attitude. "Do you want my help or not?" Dani asked. "Because I don't trust many people and I'm sorry Seamus, but out of everyone I've met on board this ship, I only trust you and I'm big on trust, not so big on trusting."

"Just tell me if you only trust me because I'm from Earth," Harper asked with a touch of annoyance.

"I trust you because you seem nice, Seamus, because I don't feel threatened by you," she saw his expression fall slightly. "And I mean that in a good way," she quickly spoke to avoid a misunderstanding. "Seamus, if it had been any of the other crew that I found under that mess earlier, I would have continued my reluctant act, I would have had no reason to help them because I don't trust them, but I helped you, Seamus," she said with conviction.

Harper felt trapped almost, he really just wanted to leave Dani to the others to sort out but he wasn't being given the option. His head was hurting, and he had a strong desire to sleep, but remembering Trance's advice he knew he had to stay awake, and it occurred to him that Dani was giving him an option that could help him.

"Ok," Harper finally accepted with a sigh, and gestured to Dani to follow him to the exit. "We can go to your quarters and I can engage privacy mode, we won't be disturbed," Harper explained evenly, wondering if he could really trust her in the same way she seemingly trusted him, and naturally Harper wondered briefly if she really was a threat, and whether he should he be doing this.

Looking upwards, Harper decided on some morale support. "Rommie," Harper spoke up, feeling the need for backup, should Dani turn on him. "If you need me for anything," he emphasised the anything. "I'll be in guest quarters with Dani, we'll have privacy on, because she wants to talk to me about something, but any emergencies just let me know," he stated pointedly, and knew Rommie would put only a limited privacy on now.

"I will let you know if you are needed for any emergencies," Rommie's voice returned calmly to further reassure Harper.

Harper felt better now, trusting that Rommie would pick up on his uncertainty and keep an eye on things, not enough to break the confidentiality, but enough presence that if he was in any way harmed, Rommie would know about it immediately.

Dani walked alongside Harper, seemingly oblivious to Harper's concerns. He tried to reassure himself that she was being genuine, but he was still put out that she had chosen him to talk to, and he knew it was because he was from Earth, and the stupid slave thought they were somehow connected because of it. That was what angered him now, everything he had accused the crew of doing when they had first suggested he talk to her, now Dani was just proving that the crew had been right to assume his background would appeal to her.

Harper inwardly attempted to calm down, he knew to go into this in a snappy mood wouldn't do anyone any favours, he did have the opportunity to learn more about Dani, and in turn help the crew and then she could leave, he figured.

* * *

Beka looked at Dylan and Rhade, their reactions offered very little but enough for her to smile.

"Harper's in the guest quarters with privacy mode on?" She repeated what Rommie had informed them. "It's late," she then offered. "She's a female, should we really be encouraging this?" Beka asked with a smirk.

"Dani is at least talking to someone, so let's just stay focused," Dylan pointed out.

"It appears the small man had found his calling," Rhade spoke up. "Counsellor for slaves that need to talk," he grinned.

"Take that back," Beka immediately stated, surprising those around her, especially Rhade.

"I was just joking," Rhade offered.

"It's not funny, Harper already has issues about his past and comments like those are likely to have him sticking a knife through your heart before you can even begin to grin, understand?" Beka insisted.

"I hope you're not seriously suggesting that Mr Harper would murder a fellow officer," Dylan casually remarked, his attention more focused on his console.

"Just don't make a big deal of this, he had issues about us suggesting that he'd be the best person to talk to Dani, and now Dani has chosen him. I just don't think Harper's going to be in a joking mood about any of this," Beka warned, remembering the argument she had had with Seamus a couple of days before on the subject. "And now that he can help, I don't want to discourage him, this is the closest I've come to cracking this mission, Dylan."

Dylan nodded his head, whilst taking on board Beka's apparent passion for completing the mission he had given her. "Understood," he confirmed, and glanced at Rhade who also agreed to take Beka's advice.

"I guess we just have to wait now, and see what she has to say for herself," Beka shrugged, deep down her hopes began to rise and she could now sense success was in her reach.

TBC


	7. Part 7

Part 7

Harper followed Dani into her makeshift quarters on the Andromeda, and he quickly found a seat, whilst he waited for Dani to sit down he looked upwards. "Rom babe, privacy mode on, please," he requested to show good faith to Dani.

"Privacy on," Rommie confirmed via voice only.

Dani was looking at Harper strangely. "You really talk like that to the ship?" she asked with obvious horror.

"Rommie is more than just a ship," Harper returned.

"I'm judging you again, I have to stop that," Dani looked away.

"So what do you have to say?" Harper asked, glad in part that at least Dani was aware of her unfair statements on his character.

"I know you don't fully appreciate that I've decided to trust you, and speak to you," Dani began, and Harper's expression agreed with her assessment. "But I'm just as much in the dark about all this as you are."

"How am I in the dark?" Harper asked with confusion. "Are you saying that you're more than just the slave you appear to be?"

"Well I'm in the dark," Dani countered. "Why am I even here?"

"I thought you were going to talk to me, not vice versa," Harper stated. "If you just brought me here to ask questions I best be going now," he made to move.

"Don't I deserve an explanation?"

That comment instantly made Harper shake his head angrily, and his voice rose as he spoke. "Trance, Rommie, everyone bar me has attempted to explain to you the situation, and you decided to ignore them, to not trust them," Harper argued, getting to his feet, now deciding that this was a waste of his time. Why did he even begin to think this slave would be any different to those he used to avoid on Earth, always asking questions because they were weak enough to lose their minds in the first place.

Dani closed her eyes. "Yes maybe they did but I won't remember that for a few days yet."

Harper turned sharply to face Dani, his attention caught. "What do you mean, in a few days?" he questioned abruptly.

Dani sighed and adjusted her seating position, sitting forward now with her head in her hands. "I was involved in an accident as a kid, this transport hit me, as a result I got irreversible brain damage, and I have problems remembering things, at first," she offered.

Harper sat down again as he digested the news. "So you don't remember anything, your short term memory is damaged?"

"I remember things eventually, a few days later, so I still have a perfectly working long term memory, it just takes me a while before I do remember, it just comes back to me," Dani explained. "Which is why I had to tell you this now because more likely than not, I won't remember any of this tomorrow, and we'll have to start all over again."

"But you will eventually remember this?" Harper checked, making sure he understood.

"Yeah, give it a few days and I'll be remarking on how paranoid you looked when I asked for this chat," Dani grinned.

Harper looked away but he was desperately trying to remain indifferent to the slave, to show her his natural dislike and distrust, but somehow Dani had no problem mocking him, and he hated the fact that he sometimes found her remarks funny, as it didn't help his annoyed stance.

"So," Harper decided to rapidly change the subject back to its original purpose. "You have this brain injury, is that why you wouldn't let Trance check you out on Med Deck?"

"Probably, I don't recall protesting but it sounds like something I would do," Dani admitted. "I just get jumpy about any instruments or medical equipment going near my head, it doesn't take much for me to get a head ache."

Harper looked at her, it made sense he figured. "So when I next see you, you won't remember that you've told me all this?"

"When you next see me, just tell me that 'Reko knows the truth'," she explained.

"Reko knows the truth?" Harper repeated.

"He was the first person I told about my disability, it will tell my long term memory that you know the truth," Dani smiled. "I'll know to trust you, but naturally if you want shot of me, just keep quiet and out of my way, by the time I remember I might not be on board any more and out of your hair," she added, dismissively.

"So if your poor memory skills are down to this injury, and not some inbred slave conditioning, how much of a slave are you?" Harper asked suspiciously now, when taking away her inability to remember things, he realised that what remained was not the typical slave that he would expect, she had attitude, and on reflection she seemed bright and amusing, not a trait usually associated with Earth slaves.

"I need to trust you if I tell you," Dani stated firmly.

Harper looked at her, she was no longer making an observation but demanding his trust. He wanted to know the truth about this girl, she intrigued him now, as well as annoyed him, but now he knew something more about her, Harper had to admit that his curiosity was burning.

"Rommie, activate Harper privacy protocol nine alpha zero," Harper instructed without a second thought, removing his safety net now and offering what he could of his trust in her. He saw Dani looking back at him as Rommie confirmed the order, and offered a brief shrug. "Ultimate privacy now, not even Rommie will be able to recall what's being said here," Harper explained casually.

"So before?" Dani asked.

"There were backdoors, if Rommie ever needed to investigate she would have been able to override the privacy code," he informed her, and saw her flash of concern and felt bad suddenly for not giving her the privacy she had requested. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Rommie doesn't pry, I can do that you know," Harper tried to sound important.

"You didn't trust me," Dani reflected but then seemed to shrug it off. "Thanks for trusting me now," Dani seemed to appreciate his actions. "So now we can talk without any fear of what is discussed being discovered?"

"Dani, are you really sure you want to just talk to me about this?" Harper attempted once more time to get Dani to speak to someone else in the crew, being the only one to know the truth was going to put him in a tiresome position. "You know the minute I leave this room I'll be ordered to tell them what you said, they need to know, it's the mission we're on, I can't not obey orders."

"Yes you can," Dani objected firmly. "I don't believe for a second that a kludge like you, can't disobey orders."

Harper was momentarily shocked, before he quickly recovered. "Don't freaking call me that!" Harper snapped with sudden fury at the insult, and got to his feet. "You lure me into this, whatever this is, and then throw that in my face? Who the hell do you think you are? You of all people have no right to call me that!"

"Because I'm a slave?" Dani asked pointedly, rising to Harper's fury but showing no apology for her comment.

Harper stared at her for a moment knowing that her observation wasn't wrong, and realising how harsh he may be being, but she was missing his point and her tone and words had still insulted him. "Not exactly," he offered bluntly. "Because you never lived in the camps did you? You were taken away and you missed all the fun of the beatings, the night patrols, the bored ubers looking to use you for target practice, contaminated food, I could go on," Harper emphasised sharply, all his hatred of slaves now pouring out in his voice.

"You make out like I've had a charmed life," Dani observed more calmly, her tone softening and she then sighed, allowing her head to fall back looking amused by the turnaround.

"I can't help the way I feel about the ones who got away," Harper stated. "And I know it wasn't a bed of roses for slaves either," he countered quickly. "But I have issues with people who willingly allow themselves to serve those monsters, and I can't help how I feel," he finally admitted but he avoided eye contact.

"I'm sorry," Dani simply offered sounding genuine with her words.

Harper closed his eyes. "You don't have to apologise," he stated, that hadn't been what he wanted, he just wanted to leave now feeling like an ass for what he had just admitted to, but it was the truth that he couldn't deny.

"If you don't want to know anything about me, then fine I can't force you to listen," Dani spoke softly. "I won't tell you and then your friends can go back to trying to make me like them, so just go already and get some rest."

There was silence now, but Harper didn't attempt to move, he no longer knew what to think as his head thumped and his feelings took over. Just as he was beginning to accept that maybe he could listen to Dani, she had turned on him in a way he didn't like, but he hadn't exactly been perfect either, and more and more Harper was realising that she was less like the slave he thought she was. Dani wasn't like the other slaves that he had seen in his life, and there was definitely something else about her, but he just couldn't determine what exactly it was, he only knew one thing for sure, she had his attention now.

"You say you trust me," Harper said as he looked over to Dani. "That you will only talk to me, but you still won't tell me why other than you just do trust me, and then you so easily insult me with your next breath," Harper explained with an air of frustration.

"You're not exactly making this so easy for me you know, and in truth you didn't have to tell me how you felt about slaves, it's been written all over your face since the moment I first saw you," Dani countered.

"So tell me why are we even trying to do this? I can't help the way I feel, you can't expect me to change just because you, for no reason that I can see, decide to trust me," Harper said with confusion.

"I know, but I don't care about what you think of slaves," Dani shrugged. "Do you think you're the first person to look at me like a piece of trash, newsflash honey, I'm use to it, I expect it, and I get suspicious when I'm not viewed like that, so just deal with that fact and get over yourself," Dani stated with arrogance.

Harper looked away and in that moment he couldn't look at Dani, as his thoughts consumed him, not liking the fact that Dani was taking his prejudice so well, and accepting it as a part of him, what did she really think of him now and why did he suddenly care?

Harper then looked up when Dani began to lightly laugh, and he narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Just thinking why did I have to trust the most untrusting being on this ship?" Dani offered lightly.

"I didn't do anything to make you trust me," Harper reminded her bluntly.

Dani just smiled. "That's what makes you so adorable," she offered warmly to Harper's surprise, but she quickly continued. "You told me this was a good ship, and a good crew," Dani remembered. "So, I can't have made that much of a bad choice to trust you, I'm not blind, I saw the efforts your friends made to help you earlier, so they obviously trust you too, hell they may even like you," she joked.

"Don't twist this around to me," Harper protested, refusing to rise to her teasing. "What about you? What kind of slave are you to have this much of an annoying personality?" he asked pointedly. "In my experience that's the first thing the ubers beat out of your kind."

Dani sighed. "Because dummy, I'm not a slave," Dani simply admitted.

"What?" Harper immediately questioned, and it threw everything he understood about her away.

"Now you want to know more, don't you?" Dani continued to tease.

"Are you going to tell me or just play these stupid games?" Harper responded unimpressed, but he did want her to now continue, he had come this far after all.

"It's all just an act, I'm sure you'll be glad to know, now you can just hate me for being me, rather than that tired old excuse that its because I'm a slave," Dani offered. "I do work for Yussuf, but on a different level to that of a stupid slave," Dani stated finally, and with a casual air. "He discovered my brain injury could serve him, and it keeps a roof over my head in doing so."

"How so?" Harper was intrigued now. "And I don't hate you," he assured her. "Much," he quickly added so he didn't appear too quick in forgiving her, but wanting her to know that he wasn't a bigoted monster either, he just had issues.

"Yussuf gives me vital information to remember, then the next day when I've forgotten it, he arranges for me to be collected. I go into simple dumb slave mode, an act I have perfected over the years, well it had you fooled," she shrugged. "And then what should happen is I get delivered to the source, and once I remember the message and who it's for, I tell them, and they then act on the information and when it's safe to return, I return home to Yussuf," Dani explained.

"Clever," Harper could only comment with the information.

"You can't tell the others," Dani immediately stated. "I'm loyal to Yussuf, and it's not wise to cross him, no one can find out about this, certainly not the Commonwealth."

"So why tell me?" Harper asked with sheer confusion now.

"I told you, because I trust you," Dani simply responded. "I wanted you to know, so you can help me."

Harper looked annoyed now. "Now that I know, Beka will expect me to tell her, this is her mission, Dani, and why should I help you? You may be loyal to Yussuf, but I'm just as loyal to Beka and this crew," he stressed.

"I have a good life, Seamus," Dani explained with care. "Yussuf is not the big bad Tyrant, he is a very considerate and caring man, even if he is an uber," she claimed. "I am not a slave to him, I simply work for him as a messenger, and in turn he rewards me with food, shelter and respect. I'm not ready to give my life up, so don't make me."

"The messages you pass along, Dani, they are of concern to the Commonwealth, Yussuf may be this hero to you, but he is a threat to everybody else," Harper explained with careful consideration. "Dani, never trust ubers, the work you do puts innocent people at risk."

"You're wrong," Dani stressed, and now she got to her feet. "I have been in Yussuf's care since I was six years old, possibly younger, he gave me all the medical care I needed after my accident, and he made sure I was educated, well fed, so don't expect me to betray him just because you tell me he's really a bad man."

"If you have the brains you claim you don't need me to tell you that," Harper returned sharply. "You don't need ubers to have a comfortable life," Harper added, looking tired suddenly.

"Maybe not, but I don't have a lot of friends in this universe like you do," Dani stated back. "I wouldn't last five minutes out of Yussuf's care."

"You would," Harper objected. "You just have to want to, and being on this ship is an opportunity Dani, not a prison sentence."

"You look tired," Dani then observed, quickly changing the subject on seeing the rapidly flaking human before her.

"How long has it been since I left med deck?" Harper wearily asked, feeling drowsy.

"About two hours," Dani answered. "Lie down for a couple of minutes, take a break," she suggested, as she gestured to her bed.

"I better go back to my own quarters," Harper decided and got to his feet, it had been enough of an energy drain talking to Dani without staying in her company for longer than necessary.

"Thanks," Dani simply said.

"For what?" Harper questioned.

"For not telling anyone what I told you," Dani stated.

"Who says I wont?" Harper returned.

"Me," Dani said confidently, and a wry smile followed.

"You really think you know me," Harper frowned.

"Prove me wrong," Dani challenged, as she stared directly at Harper.

"You said yourself that you have no friends outside of Yussuf in this galaxy," Harper reminded her.

Dani for once was silent in her response, and she just looked on as Harper moved to the exit, and he left her quarters without another word. Deep down, he knew that it was not in his nature to break someone's trust in him, even though he had issues about Dani that were still unresolved even after her revelation. He heard the door close behind him, and Harper ran over the many things his mind that he had to digest about Dani, the most important thing being what he was going to tell the others, or rather what he couldn't now tell them.

* * *

"What about eight hours?" Beka asked with an impatient air.

"Give him nine, Beka, Harper doesn't sleep in often and he had quite a distressing day yesterday, don't wake him if he's still asleep," Trance requested.

Beka paced the Obs deck as Trance tended to some plants, it was now morning and they had heard nothing from Harper or Dani since their chat in her quarters.

"But don't you want to know what Dani told him?" Beka asked with impatience.

"I do, but in good time," Trance replied showing her patient side.

Beka examined more closely one of Trance's plants, taking in the shape of the leaf and colour of the flower. "What do you think is going on with Dani and Harper, I mean why him?"

"Why do you ask that?" Trance asked with amused interest.

"The way she hung around Harper yesterday after we freed him, she didn't leave his side," she remembered. "The very fact she seems to trust him instantly, and this is Harper we're talking about, no one confides in him usually and he wanted nothing to do with this mission, now he's bang smack in the middle of it."

"I confide in Harper," Trance objected.

"OK, so maybe sometimes he's a good listener when you can get him to shut his mouth for a few minutes," Beka conceded. "But don't you find this all a bit strange? Why Harper?"

"Like for like, and I'm not intending to belittle Harper," Trance was quick to speak seeing Beka about to object to her choice of words. "They are both humans from Earth, she's not an imposing figure, and we both know that Harper is too laid back sometimes, and the first time that she saw Harper, he was in need of her help," Trance explained. "No one else on this ship has needed her help, so its no surprise to me that she has responded like this to Seamus, considering the circumstances."

"So because he's a short accident prone mess of a human, Dani has found someone she can relate to?" Beka said with amusement. "It could be love," she mocked.

"Or she could be a conditioned slave seeking direction from someone she can trust," Trance offered, and saw Beka reluctantly agree.

"I still don't trust someone who just trusts Harper like that," Beka responded, then caught her words. "I mean, usually it's not good for Harper when that happens," she tried to recover. "I just wish he would wake up already, I know I'm close on completing this mission, why is it he picks today to sleep in?" she complained.

"Well, I need to give Dani some breakfast, hopefully after her talk with Harper last night, she'll be more social," Trance offered optimistically.

"Or she could be completely traumatised," Beka teased. "Maybe Harper had a point, diplomacy has never been his strongest point."

"Beka," Trance chastised. "I'm sure they had a pleasant chat," she stated with amusement and moved past Beka towards the exit. "And don't worry about Harper, on this occasion he has not been blinded by the fact she's female, so that's something, right?"

Beka was forced to agree, if anything Harper wasn't in the least bit interested in knowing Dani, so that was something. Beka just wanted to get to the bottom of who Dani really was, and what her role was in Yussuf's empire, so she could claim the rewards and complete her mission. With Harper winning the girls trust, Beka couldn't imagine being in a better position to succeed.

TBC


	8. Part 8

Part 8

The quarters were as Trance had left them, and in her usual spot Dani was asleep. Gently Trance attempted to wake Dani, and after a few gentle shakes, Dani's eyes opened. Like every other day, Dani stared blankly at Trance, partly in fear, and the golden alien couldn't hide her disappointment, it was clear that the talk with Harper had done nothing for guest relations.

"Here's some breakfast," Trance indicated, but Dani did not react, and just looked terrified by her intrusion. "I'll leave it right here," Trance gestured and placed the food down before backing away, usually she would stay and attempt to talk, but she had feared this and needed to leave to gather her thoughts.

Without a word Trance left Dani's quarters with sadness, she had hoped that Harper might have helped Dani, and she couldn't help but feel disappointment. As she walked she began to wonder just how much of an effort Harper had made, she felt guilty for doubting Harper but he had been adamant about not wanting to help Dani, she still had hoped that he could have moved beyond that.

"So?"

Beka's voice interrupted Trance's thoughts and she looked away from the blonde captain's inquisitive stare.

"Nothing, right?" Beka guessed.

"We don't know what happened," Trance found herself responding, as always defending Harper.

"But she's the same right?" Beka stated; her voice clipped with annoyance.

"Yes, but maybe she needs time," Trance suggested.

"Time is something we do not have, you heard Dylan, he's planning to give her back," Beka showed her frustration. "He's had enough sleep, let's find out what he actually did, if anything," she gestured with a growing anger, and headed towards Harper's quarters.

"Ok, ok, give me a few seconds here!"

Beka took a deep breath, waiting for Harper to respond to his door chime, she had already activated it ten times before he'd even yelled at her. Beside her, Trance didn't seem too impressed by Beka's method of waking Harper.

"Remember yesterday," Trance simply said, knowing that Harper would probably be feeling more of the effects of his accident the day before.

"I won't touch him," Beka gestured defensively. "But we need answers, I need answers, I'm not going to fail this mission over some stupid girl with something to hide," she fumed. The frustrations of her failure to break the slave were now showing, she had pinned a lot of hope on Harper making progress and it looked very much like he hadn't done anything to help her.

* * *

Harper was still adjusting his shirt as the doors finally opened, Beka and Trance stepped into his quarters and they spotted immediately that Harper wasn't moving too freely.

"What do you want?" he snapped, as he moved back to his bed to sit down, feeling pain in parts of his body he wasn't aware were able to feel pain.

"Details, so spill," Beka responded, and found a seat.

Trance noticed Harper rubbing his head and moved beside him. "I have painkillers if you need them," she offered.

Harper took a deep breath, he wasn't surprised by the visit but he didn't know what to say to either of them, they wanted answers that he wasn't ready to give, he had only just woken up. "A painkiller would be just great," Harper softened his voice, looking gratefully towards Trance, both for her offer and the distraction. "There's not a muscle in this body that doesn't hurt," he explained with a frown.

"That's to be expected," Trance smiled, and she administered the painkiller.

"Harper, you know we're on a deadline here, last time I spoke to Dylan he mentioned handing Dani back as soon as this evening," Beka spoke up, her urgency clear on the matter. "This morning she is no different to how she's always been, what the hell happened last night?" she demanded.

"Nothing happened, we talked, and I just need to think about stuff," Harper simply responded, but avoided Beka's gaze.

"Stuff?" Beka pushed, her voice laced with disbelief.

"Yeah," Harper shrugged, trying to ignore the shooting pains that small action caused him and the unrelenting stare Beka now aimed at him.

"Any information could greatly benefit us right now, Seamus," Trance encouraged softly.

"I know that, ok?" Harper offered, on the defensive. "Give me time to think, and get something to eat, it's too early for this crap," he complained groggily.

"Just tell me what I want to know and we'll leave," Beka stressed.

Harper looked at the manic look in Beka's eyes, and he thought of Dani, what she had said to him and inside he felt a surprising conflict. He wanted to tell Beka, of course he did without question but he didn't appreciate her all that much right that minute, having barged into his quarters demanding the information. His body ached, his head was thumping, and now his quarters had been taken over by possessed beings posing as his crewmates. With a heavy sigh, Harper stared at Beka, she was looking at him like she owned him or something, and she hadn't even asked how he was. No, Harper decided, if Beka wanted the information she would have to work for it, even if it was out of pure spite on his part, it was way too early in the morning for this.

Considering the information he had, Harper figured, it demanded more respect than Beka was showing him. He wasn't some stupid kludge that she could treat like crap, and Dani was not going to see him being so weak with this crew, she had to see that he had a place in this crew, and that he didn't always roll over and obey them, that he had a voice and purpose.

Dani had to see why it was, that some people became slaves to the ubers, and others didn't, she had to understand why he never got caught, and that its possible for humans to stand up to the ubers, maybe then she'd know why they were two very different people.

Harper now looked at Beka with a new determination, if he was going to release this information, then he expected some respect in return. It shouldn't just be expected that he would release it, he never use to, it wasn't his way and his way was, and always will be Earth's way.

"Just get out of my face, Beka, I said I need time, you'll find out in good time, and when I'm ready," Harper stated firmly, and pushed past the blonde captain to show his mood was not a good one.

"Excuse me?" Beka caught, hands now on hips and showing an air of disbelief to Harper's attitude, it had caught her off guard. "Why can't you just tell me now and what's with the attitude?" she questioned.

"Because its too early," Harper responded from the bathroom, and they could hear the sounds of running water, as he freshened up a little.

"OK, fine," Beka looked at Trance who simply shrugged.

"Good," Harper returned from the bathroom, and as he walked back towards his bunk he grabbed a can of sparky cola, needing both the refreshment and distraction.

"Even though you know we need this information urgently, you still want me to wait until you're ready? Who promoted you to such a regal position?" Beka asked pointedly, her voice almost mocking him. "Don't make me pull rank here, Harper."

Harper just glared at Beka but let her words go without comment, and he glanced at Trance before looking more calmly at Beka again. "I'm not even sure that what I know will help the mission, so just let me think about it, and then everyone will benefit," Harper reasoned.

Beka looked away, and didn't respond immediately; finally she looked back at him and frowned. "I just want to help this girl, Harper, and I think you do too, deep down, and we both know that giving her back to Yussuf is not the answer, right?" she now reasoned trying to get onside with the engineer now.

"Wrong," Harper returned to both Beka and Trance's surprise. "Maybe handing her back isn't all that bad," he shrugged, but his words were not sounding totally convincing, however knowing more about her purpose had settled his concerns, especially learning that she wasn't exactly a slave. He wasn't entirely happy that she worked for Yussuf but that wasn't his problem, and she was of almost sound mind, she wasn't conditioned or brainwashed, so if she wanted to, Harper knew that she could walk away but she chose not too, and he pretty much respected that. Harper then looked at Beka and saw her growing anger at his words.

"How can you say that, Harper?" Beka questioned. "We hand her back and we lose the opportunity to help her!"

"And what the hell has that got to do with me?" Harper asked without care. "Maybe she doesn't want our help, maybe she can't help us, maybe that's what I'll be telling you later, that she's a waste of time," Harper stated loudly. "If I haven't told you once, I've told you a thousand times, dealing with," Harper hesitated as he caught his own words and he stopped that train of thought, as he composed himself again. "Maybe she's beyond help, even our help," he finished finally.

"Well," Beka exclaimed with frustration now. "You've spoken to the girl, no one else on board has, so you tell me," Beka stressed, trying to play the humanitarian card whilst also passing the buck back to Harper.

"You know, this has nothing to do with Dani," Harper deflected Beka's question. "It's all about you, Beka, you not being able to handle the failure of this mission, and the fact you have failed to break her," he remarked to completely change the subject.

"That is so not true!" Beka protested loudly.

"Come on Beka, after it was so easy to take her from Yussuf, you thought it would be child's play to break her and she has beaten you, yes you, the great Beka Valentine," Harper now smiled as he taunted her, turning the tables on his boss. "And you can't handle that can you?" he now goaded.

Beka got to her feet, clearly not happy with Harper's accusations about her. "You do know her secret, don't you? In fact I'm willing to bet that you know everything," Beka guessed, and was deadly serious in her tone now as she approached Harper.

Harper continued to smile, and remained confident until Beka entered what he considered his personal space, and the smile soon left him and he started to back away. "I just don't see the point in keeping her here, she isn't helping is she?" he offered, a little unsure as to whether Beka was a threat now, and having no idea why he was fighting Beka when that was never his intention, he had just wanted some more time to think, a chance to wake up properly. "Look, give me a couple of hours and I will, I promise, I'll tell you everything but right now I'm a little grouchy, a little tired still," he stressed. "I'll tell you stuff, just not yet," Harper stammered, under Beka's scrutiny.

"I don't believe you, Harper, I don't know what game you're playing here, but you must have forgotten who I am," Beka stated firmly and clearly, and she started to prod him to make her points even more clearer. "And I know you only boast when you know something we don't, that we need to know, and that sounded very much to me like boasting," Beka pointed out, her voice even and threatening. "Why else would you suddenly have no problem about returning her?" she figured. "And you do not turn on privacy mode, especially not your special privacy mode, to small talk, Harper," Beka had almost backed Harper into the wall now.

"Beka, is this a good point to remind you about the whole not touching Harper comment you made less than five minutes ago?" Trance interrupted, seeing genuine fear in Harper, and intent from Beka.

"Yeah, Beka, if Trance said you said that, you must have," Harper added, almost in vain as Beka grabbed his shirt.

"Beka, I'm sure if Harper does know anything he'll just say it, right Seamus?" Trance strongly indicated to Harper that she felt he should say something.

"Right," Harper rapidly agreed, but Beka remained focused on him with a terrifying hold.

"So speak to me," Beka encouraged and gently nudged the engineer backwards into the wall.

Harper felt the wall against his back under Beka's pushes, and it gave him the opportunity he needed. With Beka's next push, Harper yelled out in fake pain and it was enough to make Beka let go of him with sudden instinctive guilt, and he expertly dodged away from her before anyone could stop him, and Harper bolted from his quarters, soon finding an access tunnel, disappearing away from the interrogation.

"Rommie," Beka yelled.

"I have him on sensors," Rommie indicated by voice only, pre-empting Beka's command.

"The minute he emerges from those damn tunnels, I want to be there waiting for him," Beka ordered, she'd had her fill of Harper for one day and she wasn't going to let this drop, she wanted to know what had got into him, and what Dani had said to him, for him to act this way. She couldn't concede defeat to breaking the slave, and there was no way Harper would elude her questioning, he knew something that would hold the key to her success, of that she had no doubt and he was not going to get in her way.

"Understood," Andromeda returned as Beka's thoughts raged.

"Beka, what if he doesn't know anything of use to us?" Trance attempted to reason.

"Then he would have just told us," Beka reasoned with confidence.

"He tried to," Trance explained.

"And he would have succeeded in convincing me, if he hadn't of been right about my feelings on this case," Beka conceded with a heavy, and more composed sigh. "I don't want to fail this mission, and Harper knows that, but he also knows what I need to know. It puts him in a crappy position, I realise that, but he knows what he has to do to get out of it," she stressed.

"So why doesn't he just tell you?" Trance was a little confused.

"I don't know," Beka shrugged with honesty. "But if I do know Harper then he probably has a good reason, better than he's just tired, but that doesn't help me right now."

"I'm sure he will tell you, maybe he does just need some time to think," Trance offered.

"Maybe, but I know Harper well," Beka simply said, before she attempted a smile. "For reasons unknown he's chosen to protect Dani, rather than help me," she concluded with sadness.

"Must be important then," Trance frowned.

"Which makes me even more concerned about what exactly we have on board with Dani, if Harper is protecting her like this," Beka stated and moved out of Harper's quarters. "What is her game, and why is Harper now involved like this, to the point he's running out on me?"

"You think she's a threat?" Trance asked as she followed Beka.

"If she is, I'm not sure what kind of threat yet," Beka answered.

"I don't follow," Trance admitted.

"Is she a threat just to this ship, just to Harper, or to both?" Beka offered. "We know next to nothing about her other than rumours, we don't know where her training lies, if she is even trained, and now we have Harper somewhere on this ship hiding from me, aren't you a little concerned?"

"Now I am," Trance was forced to admit.

"Harper and Earth, always a dangerous combination, and it brings the worst out in him," Beka frowned. "I should have realised this would happen, Dani is bringing it all back to him, all those emotions and instincts of his past, whether she knows it or not Dani has caused this reaction, it's like some sort of trigger in Harper where his past is concerned."

Trance frowned as she considered Beka's theory. "His anger at her being on board, and to our suggestion that he could help, maybe his reaction was more to do with what he's feeling now?" she offered. "Maybe he can't control it, but he realises this, and his anger before was more because he knew that this would happen if he got involved, that he would become like this, the conflict?" she continued.

Beka stopped and looked at Trance. "He could have been trying to protect himself, us even," Beka conceded, to show that she understood what Trance was trying to say.

"Beka, Harper rarely talks about where he came from, we simply assume it was tough from what little he does say," Trance explained. "We don't know who he was when he lived like that, and by bringing someone like Dani on board, it caused a reaction in him from the first minute that we never understood, just like we don't fully understand his reaction now," Trance reasoned.

"I have enough to deal with breaking Dani, I don't know if I have time to deal with Harper as well," Beka sighed. "I simply need to know what she told him, is that really asking so much?" she asked, then moved away, leaving Trance to simply shrug.

* * *

Harper rested in the conduit, feeling he had travelled deep enough into Andromeda's systems to escape the scrutiny of Beka Valentine. He finally allowed himself to think about what had just happened, and he now felt confusion. Letting his head fall back against the side of the conduit, Harper took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Why didn't I just tell Beka?" he finally spoke up with frustration. With high mocking tones he answered himself. "Because we don't tell on our own, that's not the way, Earthers stick together," he stressed with annoyance and a touch of petulance, showing anger to his own reaction, and hitting out at the conduit around him. "I can trust Beka, and I don't trust Dani, great one Seamus, go and pick on the one person who won't betray you, smart freaking move there!" He continued with growing turmoil at his own actions. "She's a freaking slave, she can say she isn't but she's still uber scum," he added with venom, his breathing rapid. "And this isn't Earth for freaks sake, the rules are different up here," he finally said to himself, reminding himself of the side he should be taking.

"Harper?" Rommie's hologram appeared close by.

Harper seemed displeased by the intrusion. "Do you have to keep doing that?" he asked sharply.

Rommie just looked at him. "You are suppose to be resting, captain's orders, remember?"

"I am resting," Harper protested, gesturing to his sitting position.

"Why did you run from Beka?" Rommie finally asked, her almost innocent tones making the question sound reasonable.

Harper rubbed his face before answering. "Because I'm a fool, because I'm nothing but a stupid freaking kludge after all," he honestly replied, and with anger. "Putting the words of brainless slave ahead of my friends."

"Her name is Dani, and you are not stupid," Rommie calmly pointed out.

"Really? So I hide out in the conduits for fun?" Harper responded quickly, before attempting to relax. "Look, Rom doll I'm not in the best of moods right now, I'm sorry but can we not do this?"

"Are you ok?" Rommie had to ask, her face showing concern.

"Yeah," Harper attempted to relax. "Just the abrupt wake up call, the accusations, freaking pains from my stupid stunt yesterday, you know it gets to a guy before he's had a chance for his two cans of morning sparky," he gestured, and finally a familiar smile arrived on his face, albeit not very convincing, as he was clearly worked up still.

Rommie offered a smile of her own. "Beka does want to see you, when you are ready," she informed him, letting on that she would keep him hidden until he was able to face her.

Harper simply smirked. "I bet she does," he frowned. "Where is she now?"

"She has just arrived on Obs deck with Trance," Rommie answered, before blinking out of sight, Harper sat back and resting his head against the bulk head, giving himself some time to think.

Yussuf stared out to the cityscape before him and slyly smiled, he turned to the man in the room with him and gestured to his men to reward the courier.

"You have done well to inform me of Dani's location," Yussuf beamed.

"It was a pleasure, sir," the courier bowed, and was then encouraged to leave the room with his reward.

Yussuf took a deep breath in contemplation. "Send my fighters to intercept the Andromeda Ascendant, we need to send a message to this Valentine and Rhade," Yussuf ordered. "Its time to take back what's mine, so warn them, cripple them and then await my orders."

"This is a high guard warship, sir," one of his men warned.

"Then send my best fighters, and lots of them," Yussuf stated casually. "I will not be in awe of the ones who stole from me! I think it's time to put into practice that technology we acquired," he smiled, and his thoughts turned to sweet revenge and payback for those who dared to take his Dani.

TBC


	9. Part 9

Part 9

Harper had had enough of his own company, and he finally reached the exit of the tunnels. Before he had a chance to react, Harper felt an iron grip that dragged him the rest of the way out and pushed him fully into the access room and against the bulkhead.

"Ow!" Harper complained, and then focused on Beka. "I'm serious this time," he grimaced as pain shot up his arm, but Beka wasn't going to let go of him this time and she stared at him awaiting a response. "I'm sorry, really truly freaking sorry!" Harper snapped, his voice strained, as he attempted to make her grip feel more comfortable, but she had got a hold of a part of his arm that had been trapped the day before and was particularly tender, he closed his eyes to the pain hoping that Beka would relinquish her hold soon.

Unsure exactly what happened next, Harper only felt himself being dragged harshly to the ground and landing in a heap. Once he got his bearings, he realised that someone had attacked Beka, and in turn had sent them both to the ground, and that Beka was now squaring off against the assailant.

"Dani?" Harper suddenly realised as he recognised the attacker, and he scrambled to his feet.

Dani glanced over to him and it was enough for Beka to strike, sending Dani to the floor.

"Stop!" Harper cried out, seeing Dani clutching her head protectively. "Beka, don't!" he yelled before Beka could strike Dani again, anywhere but the head he instinctively thought.

Beka looked at Harper, and seemed to regain her composure quickly in seeing his reaction. Harper moved to Dani's side, but before he could check on her she shoved him back, and quickly moved away, putting a clear distance between them. Her eyes locked on his, as Harper stumbled back, but she didn't remember him, Harper could tell instantly, so why, Harper now wondered, had she attacked Beka?

A security detail promptly turned up and Beka instantly ordered them to return Dani to her quarters, and keep an eye on her until further instructions. Both Beka and Harper then took a moment to regain their thoughts, before speaking again.

"You ok?" Harper tentatively asked towards his friend.

"Yeah, I'll live," Beka responded, whilst brushing down her clothes. "You?"

"Same," he shrugged, and there was an awkward silence for a moment.

"So, what was all that about?" Beka finally asked, still catching her breath a little, after the altercation. "And what the hell did you do to her last night? She looked at you like a stranger, one she would have killed bare handed given the chance," Beka questioned accusingly but with confusion as well.

"I don't know, and it doesn't matter," Harper offered distantly, whilst absently rubbing his aching arm, where Beka had previously held him.

"Why are you protecting her?" Beka then asked, her voice short and laced with accusation. "And don't try to tell me you're not, I know you are."

"What the hell has got into you, Beka?" Harper asked his voice rising sharply, on the defensive and not enjoying Beka's continued attitude against him. "I told you I was sorry about tricking you earlier, and that you were freaking hurting me but you didn't listen," he complained with bitterness, and began to move away, still holding his arm to make his point.

"Is that why she attacked me, because I was hurting you?" Beka questioned, trying to seek the truth.

"No," Harper responded confidently, Dani didn't even know who he was, her reasons were probably nothing more than reading the situation wrongly or just acting on instinct, thinking Harper needed her assistance.

But no matter how Harper dressed it up, the reason why she wasn't in her quarters confused him, why had she been there? Yesterday when he'd had his accident, he was on her deck but this was deck eight, four away from her quarters, so why was she there at that precise time, he considered as he continued to walk away and he entered the corridor.

"Harper wait," Beka's voice sounded behind him, and he could sense she had followed him out into the corridor.

Harper then felt Beka reach out for him, but he shirked her attempt to stop him away, he continued walking for a few more steps before he turned and faced her, whilst still backing away, full of renewed fury at her actions.

"Just leave me alone, ok? This mission is making you crazy, making me crazy, so just don't bother talking to me till its over," he stormed, and turned on his heels to move away.

"Harper, please don't walk away," Beka's voice softened, and she was quickly realising her own actions, and appeared grateful to see Harper respond by slowing to a stop and turning to face her again.

Harper showed the turmoil he felt, as he began to speak. "I just don't know what any of this is about, but I do know that I just don't like it, and that I don't want this between us," Harper admitted, sounding confused. "I don't like what's got into you, yeah, it's your mission I get that," Harper shrugged and looked down to the deck, then hurt as he looked up at Beka again. "Why are you treating me like this? I'm just trying to help, whether you believe me or not, but I'm not doing anything else," he assured her.

"I don't like being in the dark, and you know that," Beka attempted to explain, her composure and voice softer now, and more recognisable. "Yeah, this is effectively my mission, and it's important to me, but you're not helping, and you're suppose to be on my side," Beka stated truthfully. "I know what she is, and I'm guessing you have issues because of her background, and your own, but Harper I have to ask you to just this once, to forget your past and help me."

Harper looked away, considering Beka's request, before looking up again. "I was going to tell you what I knew, but now," Harper looked a little lost as he looked around, now starting to back away. "Right now, I don't know, Beka, you're acting as though I'm the enemy and right now I feel like your enemy, my past has nothing to do with this, maybe its you who has to forget it, not me," he suggested firmly.

Beka put her hands on her hips and sighed, closing her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, and you're right, things have gone crazy between us, but we're both to blame," she spoke with sincerity. "I don't know what I was thinking, its just this mission is starting to get to me and knowing that you know something that could help me, I'm finding it real hard to justify why you have a reason to not just tell me, ok?" Beka offered honestly, with another heavy sigh. "If we give her back to Yussuf," Beka began to explain.

"I know, we'll fail, you'll fail," Harper finished for her, sounding remorseful.

"If we can scupper Yussuf's plans, Seamus," Beka approached him with caution. "Do you realise what that would mean, he's this sectors biggest tyrant, we'd be the toast of this sector, we're talking rewards," she stated with sudden enthusiasm.

A familiar glint arrived in Harper's eyes as he recognised this Beka very well. "Beka, are you trying to win me over with promises of treasure and riches beyond my wildest dreams and I'm warning you my dreams are pretty wild," Harper commented.

"Just saying, bringing down Yussuf's empire would be a real achievement in this sector of space," Beka indulged him.

"Damn it, Beka, you know me too well," Harper complained in mock defeat, it was nice to smiling again in Beka's company, and he couldn't help but be attracted to the idea of bringing down the tyrant that was Yussuf, knowing all manner of rewards and riches would follow.

He hadn't even stopped to considered how valuable the information he knew was to the larger picture, and he, as well as Beka deserved the break. Beka had also provided him another chance to just tell her what she wanted to know without the hang-ups or explanations for his earlier action. It was a reason that made him feel more comfortable with revealing Dani's secrets, a silly selfish rewards and treasure style reason, but if it stopped the tension between him and Beka, his trusted friend, then it was good enough, Harper considered.

With a shrug, Harper briefly smiled as he brightened his mood. "Beka, there was no big reason why I didn't tell you this morning, I was just tired and grouchy, you know what I'm like when I first wake up," he tried to explain.

"I should have given you some space, some time like you requested, we just both caught each other at bad times," Beka accepted with a genuine smile. "So just tell me now what you know about Dani, and we'll forget what happened before," Beka requested, placing her hand on Harper's upper arm.

At that moment time seemed to slow down, as the ship suddenly rocked with multiple explosions, sending both Beka and Harper to the deck with the strong impact.

* * *

"Unable to track the enemy fighters," Rhade yelled.

The command deck shook again, and panels exploded around them.

"Decks Seven, Eight and Nine are worst hit, and I have lost sensors in those areas," Rommie informed them.

"Return fire, Trance, take your pick," Dylan barked his orders, as he tried to regain composure and control of the situation.

Trance joined Rhade and they both took control of the weapons, but with limited success. "We just can't get a lock, their signals are affecting our weapon locks, some sort of scrambler, illegal no doubt," Rhade stressed.

"We're being hailed," Rommie announced.

"On screen," Dylan frowned.

"Valentine, Rhade, message from Yussuf, he wants what is his back before the day is out," the pilot simply said on the view screen before cutting the communication.

"They have opened a slip point," Rommie detected. "And they are gone," she confirmed.

"Great," Dylan took a deep breath. "Report."

"Detecting hull breaches and structural damage to decks seven, eight and nine," Rommie informed her captain. "Dylan, a six man security team, Seamus Harper, Beka Valentine and Dani are unaccounted for."

"Last known positions?" Dylan asked with concern.

"Deck eight," Rommie answered.

"The earlier incident with Dani?" Dylan checked, having read the update moments before from Rommie about despatching a security team to that area to assist Beka and Harper with a disturbance involving their guest.

"That's where it took place," Rommie agreed. "It was quickly resolved without further incident."

"I wonder if Yussuf realises that his own attack may have killed the one thing he seeks so badly," Dylan considered. "Send medical teams to the area, see if they can assist."

"We are unsure of the damage to that area, Dylan," Rommie reminded him. "I would advise caution to any crew entering the area, I am unable to detect anything in the affected parts but hull breaches have occurred in some sections."

"Agreed, now we do not want anymore surprises do we, Rhade, scan for possible returns, Rommie we need power to the engines and fast, try and organise emergency repairs," Dylan ordered. "I do not want to be a sitting duck to Yussuf."

"Acknowledged," Rommie accepted, knowing that she was in part doing Harper's job, hoping that it would just be a temporary measure.

* * *

The smoke and electrical charges fizzed around them, as Harper tentatively looked up and saw Beka doing likewise.

"What was that? Sounded way to close," Harper remarked, now feeling even more of his aches and pains from the previous day as his hand gingerly rubbed his temple.

"Come on, it's not safe around here, whatever that was," Beka encouraged Harper to his feet. "Andromeda, report?"

There was just silence, and Harper moved towards a wall panel. "Whatever hit us, it's taken out this deck, and is it just me or does the air pressure feel a little less than it should?" he asked, with increasingly heavy breaths.

"We must have a hull breach somewhere around here," Beka figured, now sensing the drop in pressure. "With Rommie out of action on this deck, repairs to those breaches will be sporadic at best," she frowned.

"Command?" Harper questioned their next move.

"Let's go," Beka agreed.

Shouts from further down the corridor stopped both of them in their tracks, and they looked at each other, exchanging concerned glances, they changed direction knowing the shouts sounded like cries for help.

"It's the security team that took Dani," Harper realised when they saw the source of the cries, and they quickened their pace, feeling the air pressure dropping even more the closer they got, and it sapped at their energy.

"What's going on?" Beka asked, as she reached them.

"Impact occurred real close to here," a member of the security team responded, taking heavy breaths. "We have hull breaches occurring in this area, a few small ones somewhere around here but worst further down, plus structural damage," he explained and then took a breath, the air was pretty thin now. "Two of our men are injured, and we can't move them just yet, so I've sent another to get oxygen masks so we can increase our efforts and clear this area," he stated sounding in control, and Beka and Harper looked on seeing the efforts the rest of the team were making to help their own.

"Where's Dani?" Harper asked, looking around.

"Sorry, sir, she bolted, I don't know where she is but she headed down there," he pointed down the damaged corridor. "Curtis pursued her but he hasn't returned yet."

Harper moved forward, but felt Beka's hand on his shoulder. "Oh no you don't," Beka stressed. "It's in hand, let's go to command and report back."

Harper seemed in two minds, he knew that Dani was confused and didn't know where she was, probably scared by the ship falling apart around her, and he knew why she was in this state of confusion. She had trusted him with that information, and he knew that he probably had the only means to gain her trust, to help her, remembering the words she told him to speak to do so. Whilst Dani remained on this deck she wasn't just risking herself, but Curtis, and this security team as well, by keeping them down here whilst they were assigned to her, Harper knew he had to do something even if it went against his better judgement, and his more natural instincts.

"You go, I can help around here more here than up there," Harper suggested.

"I don't know, Harper, this ship needs you to bring Rommie back online around here, and it would be safer for you to do that away from here, where oxygen is in better supply," Beka returned with doubt.

"Beka, you worry about your thing, I'll do my thing, as it always should be," Harper simply requested. "And don't worry, when this little emergency is over, I'll find you, and then I'll tell you what you need to know, ok?"

Beka considered the options, and couldn't find a good enough reason not to let Harper go and help the situation on the deck, even if she suspected he had more reason than he was letting on. If that's what he wanted to do and if he felt that he could help, she wasn't going to argue with him over it, they'd only just resolved their differences.

"OK, just go, but take care, this air is barely breathable, so don't stay down here too long whilst it's like this," Beka requested, her mind now completely focused on his safety and the welfare of the ship as a whole.

"Gone already," Harper insisted and was already half way down the corridor when Beka decided to move.

* * *

"So, what's going on?" Beka requested as she arrived on command, seeing Trance, Rhade, Rommie and Dylan at their stations.

"Beka, you're ok," Trance beamed. "Where are Harper and the others?"

"Still on Deck eight, looking for Dani, she did a runner but it should be in hand, Harper's just helping out," Beka responded and quickly moved to her console to check for herself the damage they incurred.

"How are things down there?" Dylan asked. "We have no contact with decks seven, eight or nine," he added.

"Just peachy, and under control, a few casualties but nothing major as far as I could tell, now what's going on up here?" Beka kept her focus on her console.

"Warning shots from Yussuf," Dylan informed her calmly.

"What?" Beka now turned sharply to face Dylan. "Who told him?"

"Whoever it was, he now has us, or specifically you and Rhade, in his sights, we've got his attention," Dylan responded. "And he's certainly got ours."

Beka considered the situation. "So, are we going to keep her now?" she asked with mock hope.

"He damaged my ship," Dylan simply answered, and Beka smiled, knowing she now had more time to solve the riddle of Dani.

The attack by Yussuf, Beka considered as she continued to check her console, it had so easily crippled a part of the Andromeda, and the attack had happened because the big bad Nietzschean wants some small fragile human slave back, the riddle was now expanding. What was so special about Dani that Yussuf now risked a potential war with the Commonwealth over her return? Beka took a deep breath, knowing that this mission was rapidly becoming a huge test for her, and one that she knew she just had to pass.

* * *

Harper hurried down the corridor dodging the exposed wires and damaged sections. The way ahead had automatically been sealed and he guessed that was where the outer hull damage had occurred, he was glad Rommie still had some measure of control on this deck to have secured that section. Listening with care, Harper heard a voice and spun around, it had come from a side room and he stepped inside.

"Curtis?" Harper spoke up on seeing a security team member.

"Sir," Curtis turned to face him.

"Is Dani here?" Harper asked, the lights had failed in the room and he wasn't able to see too clearly as his eyes adjusted.

"In the corner, every time I attempt to go near she freaks out," Curtis explained.

Harper took a deep breath. "Typical," he remarked without thinking and allowing his personal views to once again cloud his judgements. Harper then looked around unsure for a moment, he wanted to get off the deck, feeling the effects of the low pressure a little but he knew Curtis was never going to get Dani to move. "Go help your team, there's still a couple of men injured back there, so go, I'll deal with her."

"Are you sure?" Curtis didn't seem convinced and Harper guessed it went against everything the crew probably believed about him, to be good at something like convincing someone to trust him, heck, even he had trouble believing he could really do it.

"No, but go before I change my mind and leave you here to deal with it," Harper said with honesty.

"Good luck," Curtis said with little conviction, and quickly left Harper alone in the room without even a second glance at Dani.

Harper edged forward, until he was in a position where Dani would be able to see him. "Hey," he spoke up, and got Dani's attention as she glanced over. "Its not safe around here, we need to leave."

On cue a panel fell from the side, and sparks flew around the room for a moment, Dani held herself even tighter in reaction.

"Come on, we have to go," Harper stated with more urgency but she still failed to move, and he had half a mind to just forget Dani and try and fix the repairs he could see surrounding him, knowing he would be more comfortable doing that.

"Dani, listen to me," Harper spoke with care, but his voice was growing increasingly frustrated. "We have to leave," he edged closer to her, and offered his hand in assistance to her.

It was like talking to a stranger now, as he looked at Dani, she was no longer the person who had trusted him just a day earlier. As he edged closer Dani began to slowly grow more agitated, avoiding his stare and his advances.

Another panel close by suddenly exploded into a flurry of sparks and Dani used the momentary distraction to launch herself at Harper, sending him backwards on the deck. Harper recovered quickly enough to grab her ankle before she could run away, and she fell to the deck, before she kicked back at him, catching his shoulder, but Harper kept his hold on her ankle.

With panic, Dani glanced around and as Harper pulled her back along the deck, she grabbed a live wire and waved it in front of him, in self-defence.

"Whoa," Harper let go of her and attempted to move away but she grabbed a handful of his shirt with intent, and he froze, she had determination now in her eyes and a live wire way too close to him for Harper to try and move, let alone get away. "Dani, please, put that down, it's not a toy," he said with strained breathing, trying hard to remain calm.

Dani ignore him, and Harper knew he had to play his joker, remembering what Dani had told him the night before.

"Dani, I know who you are, you told me to tell you that Reko knows the truth," Harper spoke, his eyes fixed on the live wire, as she now stared at him. "I know about your disability, and I know your real purpose," he said as calmly as the situation allowed, seeing that he now had her full attention. "Yesterday you trusted me with that information and now you need to trust me when I say we have to get out of here, it's not safe."

"What is your name?" Dani simply asked.

"Harper," he returned.

"I don't remember you," she stressed petulantly, and brought the wire into contact with Harper's upper arm.

With an ear-piercing yell, Harper screamed out in pain as volts of electricity rushed through him shaking him to the core, Dani abruptly let go of him, and removed the point of contact, and he fell to the ground, with his body still convulsing, as she discarded the live wire.

"Harper?" Dani softly spoke, fear lacing her words, but he didn't respond and his eyes were now closed as he lay still on the deck. Dani knelt down and sat beside him, stroking back his hair from his forehead, that was now drenched in perspiration. Quietly she remained sat by Harper, not knowing what else she could do.

* * *

"More of Yussuf's ships have just exited slipstream, they'll be in firing range in five, four, three," Rommie indicated rapidly. "They are firing," she finished.

"Aiming for the same spot again, captain," Rhade said with annoyance.

"Do we have communication with those decks yet?" Dylan demanded.

"Still out of communication," Rommie stated, and the personnel on command braced themselves, as the volley of fire violently shook the ship.

"Return fire all tubes, take them out!" Dylan ordered with authority, and Rhade expertly set the weapons off.

"Damage report?" Beka spoke up.

"Deck eight and nine took the main impact, internal damage unknown, further multiple hull breaches detected," Rommie confirmed.

"I'm going back down there," Beka stressed with urgency. "Trance with me, there's casualties already, there may be more now," she added.

"Do we have power to the engines yet?" Dylan requested.

"We have enough to get us to slipstream," Rommie returned. "But with the hull breaches, it's not advisable to do so."

"Get those breaches fixed, and then get us to slip stream," Dylan ordered. "I do not want to be here when they take their third run at us, I think we've got the message, so now it should be our turn to respond."

TBC


	10. Part 10

Part 10

Beka hurried through the damaged corridors, convinced there had to be more places to look but during the past hour she had checked every area she could on that deck. Removing her breathing apparatus for a moment she looked upwards.

"Andromeda?" Beka barked.

"I stil-" her voice sounded static as it abruptly cut out, declaring her presence on deck eight to still being limited.

"Forget it," Beka stressed. "Trance," Beka spoke into her wrist communicator.

"I have nothing yet, Beka," Trance's voice returned.

Beka showed her frustration, as she stopped. "Where are they?" she demanded. "It's been over an hour now, and this deck is highly unstable, barely breathable," she reminded her.

"I'm not sure, Beka, but they have to be here somewhere," Trance reasoned.

"I just know they are trapped behind those damn doors," Beka seethed.

"Andromeda says that's impossible, the doors are programmed to detect life signs in the event that they need to operate during an attack, and only operate if there are none present and the hull is breached," Trance returned, and her voice suddenly stopped.

"No, Trance, don't even say it," Beka stated sharply. "They are here somewhere, and we will find them, alive," she quickly added, and returned her breathing apparatus to her face with determination, to continue her search.

* * *

There was a loud crash, and wearily Harper half opened his eyes to the noise. He immediately felt drained, weak, and drowsy as consciousness attempted to return. There was smoke in the air, and his lungs felt sore as he breathed, Harper soon found that he was short of breath. Another crash of something falling made Harper snap his eyes open and try and gather his senses with more urgency, and he appeared to be lying on his back, on the floor. The sound of live electricity buzzing close by suddenly brought it all back to him in a flash, and he instinctively knew that he should have company.

"Dani?" Harper urgently spoke her name, as he attempted to sit up and saw her lying on the deck close to him, she appeared to be unconscious. "Dani, wake up," he encouraged, knowing that they had to get out of the room, remembering the damage to the deck, and now seeing it literally falling apart around them.

He then remembered what she had done to him, rendered him unconscious by sending a huge amount of the ships current through him, and he hesitated for a moment, but then he saw her stir, blinking her eyes open. "Harper?"

She remembered him at least, and he decided that he couldn't leave her here, he was annoyed with her, but he wasn't heartless, and Harper simply nodded his head before looking around. "We have to move, we're losing air staying here, this place isn't safe," he instructed, a little unsteadily as he found his feet, and Dani just nodded her head in understanding, as he helped her to her feet.

As they started to move it soon became apparent that the air pressure had dropped as they felt light on their feet, and they were starting to find the air too thin for comfort, the smoke was making it even more uncomfortable. There was debris all over the deck, and leaving the room was no easy task as they clambered over the damaged sections of the deck.

"I feel dizzy, and sick," Dani stated wearily after a few minutes, and between breaths.

"I know, just fight it," Harper simply ordered, feeling the same, but to his dismay as soon as they re-entered the corridor he saw that they were now sealed off. Andromeda's safety system must have detected more hull breaches, and no doubt close by, so had sealed more of the deck off automatically. But had failed to detect the life forms still in that area, so much for the safeties, Harper inwardly seethed.

"Crap," Harper finally stated on realising there was no escape, the access tubes were also locked down, and his voice sounded more strained, all he wanted to do was take a deep breath, but the air felt too thin.

"What now?" Dani asked with panic in her voice, struggling even more now, and she looked terrified by the situation.

Harper instinctively put a comforting hand on her arm. "It'll be ok," he assured her, suddenly needing to see her calm down a little, unsure if he could deal with all this and a panicked female as well.

"Really?" Dani didn't seem too convinced.

"Leave it to Harper," Harper tried to sound positive, and he pulled out a connector cable from his pants. "Oh and try not to get too easy with the electricity again whilst I'm doing my thing, ok?" Harper attempted humour, before he quickly connected the cable to his port.

Dani shrugged but showed little remorse for her actions, or reaction to his words, as she watched Harper closely. Jacking into the ship's system now, Harper knew he didn't have much time and he couldn't afford to be in the system for too long, away from his body, whilst the air was so low around him.

Once inside Harper acted quickly. "Rommie!" Harper virtually called out, and he saw what a mess the attack had left the main frame in for that section.

"Har-" Rommie's voice was partially heard.

"Rommie, release the doors for deck eight, section," Harper hesitated as he tried to remember the section they were in. "Section three to four, we're trapped, and hurry, we haven't got much air left," Harper could feel his energy draining like a heavy sensation in his mind, as he manually attempted to compensate for the loss of air pressure, fixing what he could whilst he was there.

"Underst-" Rommie attempted to confirm, her scrambled networks failing her voice commands.

Harper opened his eyes back to consciousness, he was still partially connected to the mainframe, but he had felt Dani slump beside him, and with concern he now found her resting against him, unconscious. Harper attempted to move her, he wanted to check she was all right, but he felt too tired, and completely drained of energy. His mind was only partly aware of his surroundings, whilst he was still interpreting Andromeda's disrupted systems. Absently Harper held Dani close, willing her to hold on, whilst he also attempted to stay focused.

"Harper!" Beka's frantic voice sounded from somewhere down the corridor, the doors sealing the containment must have been released finally.

He felt his lungs begin to burn slightly, desperate for air and his eyelids felt heavy, as his chest heaved. "Dani, wake up," he gasped, between heavy breaths.

Dani simply moaned in response, but she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "It hurts."

"Beka will help, stay calm, and try to stay awake," Harper managed to speak, concerned in part that Dani was beginning to allow panic to control her, he then closed his eyes again, and focused on returning to Andromeda's systems completely.

It was chaos in her mainframe, but whilst he waited for Beka to help them, he began to slowly figure out the problems, and how to fix them. Working like clockwork, albeit at a slower pace to what he was use to, he tuned out the need to sleep and his own concerns, to concentrate on restoring Andromeda's control over the decks that had been damaged.

Knowing that he shouldn't stay in the system for long, Harper tried to get an indication of how long he had been connected. Was it seconds, or minutes? Harper didn't know as his judgements became nothing but a blurring after thought, but knowing he had been struggling when he jacked in, so Harper guessed he shouldn't stay hooked up for much longer. Andromeda's systems gave him no clue as to how much time was passing, but he was still able to work, so he continued, figuring his body, or mind, would soon tell him if he needed to stop and return.

"System control returned to decks eight and nine, life support back online, air pressure back to acceptable levels," Andromeda voice was like a shining beacon in darkness, as Harper broke though the damage and rerouted the systems to give Andromeda control back.

"Rommie," Harper offered with joy, his work finally done, but he could say no more, suddenly aware of how sluggish and mentally tired he was now.

"Harper, don't ever do that again," Rommie's voice returned, and she materialised before him wearing a concerned expression.

"Huh?" Harper was confused, and she placed her hand against his chest.

"Please leave, we are very worried," Rommie indicated and Harper found the last remnants of his strength, along with a gentle nudge from Rommie, to enable him to return to his body.

The pain struck him first, and his whole body seemed to be inflicted with cramp as consciousness returned and he immediately tensed up, until he was aware of people around him holding him down, and he tried to relax. As he became more aware, he realised that he was lying on his back again, on the deck. There was something on his face, and he instinctively tried to bring his hand up to try and push it away, but movement was a bad idea.

"Stay still, Harper," Beka's voice sounded distorted, and he figured that they must both have oxygen apparatus covering their mouth and nose.

Disorientated now, Harper felt like he was spinning as he opened his eyes. He could barely move, and he wearily looked up into Beka's concerned features as she held breathing apparatus to his face.

"I told you not to hang around this deck too long, that second attack made this area completely unstable, and the oxygen levels nearly dropped to nothing, what were you doing down here, why did it take you so long to contact us?" Beka asked with concern, whilst continuing to provide him with vital oxygen that he had been deprived off.

Harper didn't respond, unable to speak, as his head rolled slightly. Knowing that he had misjudged time, both whilst in the system and probably whilst he had been unconscious thanks to Dani's attack on him, and it had nearly cost him his life. That realisation hit him hard, as he tried to concentrate on breathing in the precious oxygen.

"Deck systems fully restored," Andromeda announced.

Beka sighed heavily as the sound of rushing air returning to the corridor was heard, and she removed her own precautionary breathing gear. "Even though you were crazy, good job, Seamus," she conceded with a smile, as she was finally able to breath normal air again, and Harper could only nod his head in acknowledgement.

"We need to get him to med deck, I want to check that there's no damage," Trance announced with some urgency. "Is it ok for you to disconnect, Harper?" she cautiously asked, and he nodded his head before he gingerly moved his arm to take the cable out of his port, and then a medical team were at his side in preparation to take him to med deck.

Harper, now able to move a little, removed the mask from his face for a moment, despite protests. "Dani?" he asked tiredly.

"She's safe, and on med deck, she's fine, only needs to rest," Trance smiled. "She had a slight concussion but nothing too serious."

"Be careful with her," Harper indicated absently, as he continued to recover his breath.

"Why do you say that, I like to think that I am always careful with my patients?" Trance was both amused, and intrigued by Harper's apparent concern for Dani's safety.

"She has an old brain injury," he offered with a small shrug.

"I know," Trance grinned. "Don't worry, I have fixed that."

"What?" Harper suddenly attempted to sit up, but soon regretted it as pain shot around his body, and he remained lying down. "You've fixed it?" he checked, with staggered disbelief.

"It was just some blocked neural pathways, any medic could have done the procedure," Trance shrugged.

"But," Harper now felt as though he had walked straight into a brick wall with the news, on top of his other injuries, as he tried to digest the information, and in his condition Trance was quick to try and calm him down.

"Rest, Harper," Trance encouraged. "We can discuss this later."

Harper stared at Trance, but soon relaxed and closed his eyes, with the need to sleep was overwhelming him now. Unable to fight it, he gave into the darkness and drifted quickly back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Yussuf rubbed his hands together, as he evaluated the reports that had been returned to him, and a smile crept across his face.

"I want you to commend all fighters, they did a fantastic job," Yussuf declared with glee. "Now, have we had a response yet?"

"Nothing, sir, but they have till the end of the day to respond," his cohort returned.

"I hope Dani is ok," Yussuf said distantly. "If they touch her, she's special and no one but I can know that," he continued.

"Sir, there is a possibility," the cohort began but Yussuf quickly cut him off.

"No," Yussuf snapped in response. "Dani is loyal, she will not betray me, no matter what," he stated, although he sounded like he was convincing himself more than making a statement of fact.

"But, sir," the cohort pushed.

"Dani is loyal to me," Yussuf stressed angrily. "Dismissed!" he ordered and the cohort quickly headed towards the door and left the pride's leader to his thoughts.

* * *

Trance looked at Dani as she began to stir, and moved closer, carefully checking her vitals as the human slowly awoke.

"Dani?" Trance spoke softly, brushing her hair from the side of her face.

Dani squinted her eyes to the light for a moment and then looked around. "Trance?" she offered with confusion, and then looked horrified by her own words and froze.

"It's ok, Dani," Trance assured her gently. "Relax, everything is ok."

"I remember," she returned quickly, and in obvious shock, as her breathing quickened.

"Your brain injury was not permanent or irreversible, Dani," Trance revealed softly. "I have been able to quickly repair the damage."

Dani sat up and took some needed intakes of breath, as she tried to get her mind around the facts Trance presented to her. "I remember," she spoke again, her voice reflecting both her confusion and shock, but this time with more conviction. "Everything, I remember everything," she emphasised, shaking her head and her emotions began to take control.

"Dani," Trance put a comforting hand on her arm. "Try to relax, you still need to rest."

Dani allowed Trance to guide her back to lying down, and she said nothing for a few moments, contemplating her recovery, as her eyes darted about. Her head then turned back to Trance sharply.

"Seamus?" she asked frantically, and Trance was amused by her concern for a moment, considering what she had woken up to, and what she was now dealing with.

"He was never asleep, or unconscious when you left him, he was just connected to the mainframe," Trance assured her. "He eventually disconnected himself before we were forced to do anything, and before any permanent damage was done," Trance smiled fondly, knowing that as Dani was being taken to med deck, they had been trying hard to get Harper's attention to encourage him to disconnect, due to his body being desperately weak from oxygen depravation.

"Where is he?" Dani asked, looking around.

"In the next room," Trance offered. "And he's fine, I'm only a little concerned by the effects all this has had on his lungs, after rest however he should be ok."

"Should be?" Dani picked up Trance's doubts.

"In general Harper usually needs more recovery time than most people," Trance attempted to explain, without giving Dani Harper's personal medical history, as she checked Dani's readings.

"Why?" Dani idly asked.

Trance glanced over from her console, and frowned. "Harper just needs additional care and attention to most people."

"Because he's from Earth?" Dani asked. "I heard kludges have bad health as a rule because of the conditions there, I've been told I have some immune weaknesses from the short time I lived there."

"It's connected to his upbringing," Trance simply answered without saying more.

Dani digested the information and seemed satisfied with what Trance had explained. "He'll be ok though, right?" she checked again.

"I'll make sure of it," Trance smiled, and deep down she found it warming to see Dani's concern for her friend. "How are you feeling now?" she asked knowing Dani had had more time to get use to her recovery now.

A brief smile spread across Dani's face. "It's unreal," she offered, now with disbelief. "I remember yesterday, like it was yesterday," she spoke with uncertainty, then smirked. "Just like anyone else, I remember."

Trance smiled with Dani, knowing that it would take a while for Dani to get used to having the ability to remember recent things. The discovery of her injury at least solved the riddle as to why Dani never seemed to recognise them, or remember them, and Beka had taken that information away to try and unravel some more of Dani's purpose, whilst she waited for Harper to wake and tell her more, as he promised. Trance however suspected that Dani herself might be more approachable now, she already appeared more talkative and human than before.

"I've not had this ability since I was young," Dani then spoke interrupting Trance's thoughts, and her voice was quieter now. "But if it wasn't irreversible brain damage, then why didn't they fix me sooner?"

Trance couldn't offer Dani an answer but she knew that this would come up, why anyone would let another being believe they had brain damage made no sense to her, but she suspected that it must have served Yussuf well, for whatever Dani's true role in his pride was.

"Yussuf, he told me so many things," Dani now spoke with confusion, her face a mix of anger and amusement. "I believed him, I never questioned Yussuf, I just accepted what he said and," Dani paused to control her emotions, taking a deep breath, realising that her words were betraying all that she believed in.

"Dani," Trance said with care. "Please try and rest."

"I feel like such a stupid fool," Dani now snapped. "I can't rest, my brain is buzzing."

"You are not a fool, Dani," Trance insisted. "Why don't you tell me about how you got your original injury?"

Dani looked at Trance and shrugged, inwardly her confusion reigned, and it seemed that Seamus had been right to try and get her to talk to Trance before, she was proving to be a good listener, a comforting presence. Then Dani realised that she now remembered talking to Seamus, she remembered arriving on the ship now, and the countless attempts the crew made to make her feel welcome to no avail, and she felt so many emotions it was hard to determine what to feel about the situation.

Looking away from Trance, Dani decided to explain. "Since I was a kid, after the accident I couldn't recall recent events. It would take a week, sometimes more for me to recall information," Dani explained. "I was told it couldn't be fixed but Yussuf took me under his wing, he looked after me, and told me that he could still find a purpose for me, that I wouldn't be useless to him."

"Yussuf gave you your life, a means to exist and work with your disability," Trance stated.

"That's it, exactly," Dani agreed. "He told me stuff, I memorised it, slept on it, forgot it until I found myself at a new location, remembered it, and passed the information onto the right person."

Trance looked thoughtful. "Why?" she asked.

"Why what?" Dani returned.

"Why did Yussuf do this for you? Give you this job, this purpose?" Trance asked. "You were just some kid from Earth."

Dani shrugged. "I needed help and he was there at the time, so he gave me the help, I never questioned why, I guess he took pity on me, I had no one else," Dani offered awkwardly. "I know ubers are generally the bad guys, but on this occasion he saved my life, he actually helped me," she stressed. "Maybe to others he's this big bad guy, but to me, I owe him my life," she added with passion.

Trance simply looked at Dani, allowing a moment to pass before she spoke in response. "So, Yussuf was in the area, on Earth, when you had your accident?" Trance asked. "That was a stroke of luck for you, one of life's twists of fate," she hinted, but her tone implied suspicion.

"When the transport hit me, and yes, Yussuf, I guess happened to be in the area at the time, what is this?" Dani asked, now suspicious of Trance's questions, picking up on her tone.

"Is it fair to say that the reason you were hit by the transport, was because in the area that you lived on Earth, it wasn't visited often by transports, that you as only a child, were not aware enough of the world around you to avoid them, or to expect them?" Trance looked at Dani carefully to check her reactions, and she wasn't disappointed, Dani was considering her words with marked confusion.

"I don't know, I was just a stupid kid who got in the way," Dani then snapped, looking away from Trance on the defensive, as she brought her knees up to her chin still on the cot.

"Have you ever considered who was driving the transport that hit you?" Trance asked calmly, continuing to push, her aim to get Dani thinking over Yussuf's role in her life, in the hope that discovering how he kept the brain injury details from Dani, that he wasn't all she believed he was, in the hope that she will then help them with their mission.

Dani looked at Trance, but offered no response. "I'm tired," she stated and settled back down, and without saying another word she closed her eyes. Trance showed no objections to her wishes and eventually moved away satisfied that she had at least got Dani thinking.

TBC


	11. Part 11

Part 11

Beka allowed a sigh as she composed her thoughts. Pacing the meeting room, she glanced at Trance, then at Rhade and Dylan. "So you think that Yussuf took this kid from Earth, having hit her with his transport?"

"I have no proof that he actually hit her, or if it was purposely done or if it was an accident, but I can offer no other reason for Yussuf being on Earth at that particular time, he has no business interest there and has never visited the planet since, as far as records indicate," Trance shrugged. "But if he was looking for a live information carrier, one he could influence and manipulate without question, then a kid from a downbeat place like Earth is a good place to look, especially one that would believe that he was helping her."

"And you're saying that Dani's brain injury has been fixed, and she's cured?" Beka checked.

"It was not a difficult procedure," Trance explained. "She has lived a lifetime with a disability that could have been easily fixed, had she been aware of this fact."

"It is not unusual for Nietzscheans to acquire the services of lesser beings to act as their messengers," Rhade now spoke up, choosing his words with care. "Although I have never heard of the tactic seen here, to lead the human to believe they are brain damaged, and then pretending to help and assist them in life, that is not very Nietzschean," he concluded with a frown.

Dylan leaned forward. "I think that we've all got the impression at one point or another that Yussuf is fond of Dani, that he has affections for her, all reports also hinted at this before we began this mission," he shrugged in suggestion.

"You're saying Dani is more than just a messenger for him?" Beka asked, as she tried to piece together all the information.

"I'm not sure," Dylan admitted. "But there is more to this, there has to be, Yussuf is going to a lot of trouble to bring Dani home, he almost fried this ship, and two men have been killed already."

"Maybe the information she is carrying right now is worth that risk," Beka suggested.

"He wants Dani alive," Trance pointed out, and Dylan nodded his head towards her. "If it was the information he wanted to protect, then she would have been his target, not us."

"Then what exactly have we got on board?" Beka offered with a sigh, knowing that the information they had made little sense at that moment, and she knew they needed more.

"Beka, I trust I can leave that question with you, I'm going to be in communication with the council for the next few hours discussing plans for that other world ship type business that we need to attend to," Dylan half smiled, then glanced at Trance. "If you are not busy Trance, and can spare a couple of hours, I would appreciate your input on some of the matters being discussed," he spoke up.

"Dani and Harper are both resting, so I can probably spare a couple of hours right now," Trance agreed and stood up, leaving the meeting with Dylan.

Beka sat back down and sighed heavily, as Rhade looked on. "This mission is going to drive me insane before too long," she complained.

"Have you determined what else Harper might know yet?" Rhade asked with interest.

"Haven't had a chance, he was about to tell me when the attacks started, he's been pretty much out of it since," Beka frowned.

Rhade looked puzzled for the moment. "Did you ever discover why it took Harper so long to alert you to his position after the second attack?"

"No," Beka shook her head, and then contemplated that little mystery. "No, I never did, and I saw no obvious reason when I quickly searched the area afterwards," she considered. "It took him nearly seventy minutes to jack into the system to order Rommie to open the doors."

Rhade simply nodded his head, as he too considered the facts. "Alone with a girl for that amount of time, might be some sort of record for Harper," he finally remarked and Beka had to look away as she tried not to smirk.

"Rhade, uncalled for," Beka tried to defend her friend. "And I'm pretty sure that wasn't the reason."

"You're right, it was far too much time," Rhade absently agreed.

"Rhade," Beka snapped with mocking tones, as she got to her feet but she was thankful for the chance to smile again, even if it was in jest. "I'm going to go and check the deck again, then hopefully in the meantime Harper will wake and we'll be able to ask him ourselves," she stated, before moving to leave the room.

"Mind if I join you? I have nothing else scheduled right now," Rhade spoke up as he got to his feet, and Beka gestured for him to follow.

* * *

The room was quiet, and Dani had already checked that there was no one around, as she walked up to the cot. She looked upon the sleeping form of Seamus Harper, and saw that he was in a deep sleep. Dani saw what looked like pure oxygen being administered directly through his nose and mouth from the items Dani could see that surrounded the human's face. With careful breaths she looked at Seamus for a while, taking in his features, whilst remembering what she did to him, yet he had still helped her.

With some sadness in her expression, Dani reached with her hand and gently touched Harper's arm, before lifting the thin material of the sleeve of his t-shirt up and seeing the red burn mark she had inflicted on his upper arm when she had attacked him with the live wire.

Glancing around she found the healing device, and with a train eye she adjusted the settings to assist with burns healing. Checking once again that she was alone, she activated the device and ran it a few times over Harper's arm and watched with care, as the mark gradually grew lighter.

Satisfied that it was now barely visible, she smiled and replaced the device to the side, before returning her full attention to Harper's face, and her hand gently began to stroke his face.

"Shay," Dani spoke lightly. "Wake up, I need to talk to you."

It took a few moments for Harper to begin to stir and when he did, it took another few seconds for him to focus on Dani. Bringing his hand up to the appliances that covered the lower part of his face, Harper quickly removed the oxygen feed.

"Dani, what is it?" he finally spoke with disorientation as he got his bearings, and his voice was hoarse sounding. Harper continued to gather his senses, attempting to sit up, and figure out where he was.

Dani glanced around. "I remember," she simply said.

"Remember what?" Harper absently returned.

"Everything," she motioned with enthusiasm.

Harper then vaguely remembered what Trance had told him. "That's right, Trance was able to fix your brain injury, you have your short term memory back," he grimaced as he finally managed to sit up completely, with Dani assisting him in part. "So you woke me up to tell me that?" he asked, as he rubbed his eyes to help him to wake up some more.

"Shay, I need your help," Dani spoke low, and with urgency now.

"My help?" Harper checked, but didn't seem too enthused by the prospect. "Well sorry, babe, but last time I helped you I became a real live wire, so no thanks," he stated, his voice growing stronger as he became more awake.

Dani ignored his remarks and continued. "I remember everything," she hinted. "And I can't stay here, I need to be somewhere else," Dani insisted with an air of urgency.

"I'm not going to help you deliver whatever deadly information you may carry for Yussuf," Harper had regained enough of his senses to know it was a bad idea.

"I just need to complete my work, you have to understand that I can't risk losing Yussuf," Dani stressed, and she nervously looked around, once again checking that they were alone.

Harper rolled his eyes, before responding. "Open your eyes Dani," Harper stated, his voice growing louder now. "Yussuf has lied to you all of your life, he told you that you had brain damage, that you would permanently damaged but we fixed you the first chance we got, so he is not helping you, Dani, he's using you!"

Dani expression abruptly changed and before he could react, Harper felt his head snap sharply to the side, as Dani slapped him hard and there was silence for a few moments where Harper didn't move, or even attempt to sooth his burning cheek.

"I'm sorry," Dani finally offered softly, and she moved away slightly.

"I get the whole being loyal thing," Harper offered quietly, still facing away from Dani. "But your loyalties are misplaced," he insisted and then jumped down from the cot, moving past Dani and he reached for a beaker, so he could get a drink of water.

"You almost died earlier," Dani finally spoke up after a brief silence. "Yesterday you almost got yourself killed when that room fell on top of you," she added.

"Don't exaggerate," Harper dismissed, as he took a few sips of water.

"You're loyal to this ship, why?" Dani asked.

"Because this ship has saved my butt more than a few times, and this crew look out for me, I just know a good thing when I see it," Harper returned firmly and with honesty, before taking some sips of water.

"This ship," Dani smirked now, mocking Harper. "This ship almost made you a mother to little Magog babies, and this ship risks your life day in day out by going after the bad guys on some stupid quest of one man, a quest that died over three hundred years ago and for a reason, it was too idealistic for this universe," Dani declared.

"What is your point?" Harper asked with irritation, as he moved back to the cot with his water.

"Yes, Yussuf is this big bad that you talk about, yeah he has lied to me, but I also know a good thing when I see it, he's saved me more than risked my life," Dani explained with care.

Harper frowned, showing his doubt to her claims. "Don't even begin to try and compare our lifestyle choices," he responded bitterly.

"Why?" Dani asked. "Because you think you're better than me, because I chose to pretend to be this slave, in order to have a comfortable life? It beats pretending to think I'm more than just a stupid kludge, that I'm some kind of genius, I got news for you Seamus Harper, true geniuses do not continuously risk their lives for things they have no right being a part of. True geniuses do not have birthplace, Earth on their records," she stated harshly.

Harper just stared at her for a moment, before speaking, and controlling his more natural reactions to her words. "I think I preferred you when you were brain damaged, and under the false pretence of your precious Yussuf's will," Harper returned sharply. "And you seem to know an awful lot about me and this ship," he then added with suspicion. "How did you know about the magog eggs, and Dylan's mission?"

Dani took a deep breath and paused for a moment, letting her head drop down against her chest. "Part of my job is to know things," she quietly spoke, and then looked at Harper. "Yussuf expects me to know about any threats to his empire, in the event of something like this happening," she gestured. "He knew one day I could become a target of blackmail, kidnapping, and he wanted me to be prepared, to know my enemies."

Harper narrowed his eyes slightly. "So, everything since you've come on board, regardless of your so called brain injury has been a sham, you've know exactly who I am, and who all this crew are since you arrived?"

Dani simply shrugged. "It's my job to know, I don't question your job."

"You attacked me with live volts, Dani!" Harper yelled with sudden anger and disbelief. "I was prepared to put that down to you being scared of the unknown, and mistakenly I thought that you thought that I was a stranger, and a threat, but," Harper looked around now with amazement. "You knew who I was, where you were, and you still tried to kill me? What kind of monster has Yussuf brought you up to be, because you definitely are not human!" he stormed with anger.

"I'm not a monster, don't you dare call me that!" Dani returned sharply and with shock to his choice of words. "I thought you were the enemy, I only knew you as someone to not trust, who might, with this crew and this ship, attack Yussuf," Dani explained with passion. "Don't you see? I didn't remember that we had talked, that I had learned to trust you, I didn't remember that, and that's why I attacked you, it was all based on older less informed memories," she stressed.

"I told you the words you asked me to say, so you would trust me, and know to trust me, it didn't exactly work did it?" Harper mocked, still with angered tones.

Dani looked upwards. "I wasn't thinking straight, I was in a place that was falling apart and then you walk in, some kludge I don't know and you tell me something I wasn't expecting you to say," Dani offered with a sigh. "I thought only that you must have forced me to reveal that, I'm sorry, I never imagined in that moment that I would trust someone like you," she admitted and shrugged.

Harper stared at Dani, and wondered why he wasn't walking away, or telling her where to go. Instead, he knew deep down that she was a mystery that he didn't yet understand, and he always needed to understand.

"Do you still consider us the enemy and me as just some kludge? " Harper had to ask after a few awkward moments of silence, unsure what he was feeling now.

"Do you work for Yussuf?" Dani asked with a shrug, and Harper shook his head. "Then yeah, you're still technically the enemy, and Shay, I think anyone I deem is human and not enhanced to be a kludge, it's just my mindset don't take it so personally," she stated. "Just as you deem any human that works for an uber to be slave scum," she added quickly.

Harper took a deep breath, he wanted to deny what she was saying but he couldn't, because she was right, how could he judge her when he acted the same way so many times before? With a resigned sigh, Harper decided to move the discussion on, in the hope that it would end soon.

"So you often ask your enemies for help?" Harper asked with annoyance in his tone.

Dani looked away, suddenly she seemed to lose her apparent tough mask, and her expression briefly showed fear and anxiety. She looked back at Harper, and appeared a little unsure. "Do you see me as the enemy?"

Harper was caught a little by the question, he hadn't expected the turnaround and suddenly he felt uncomfortable. Considering the question, his instincts wanted to say yes, by the same token she didn't work for Dylan and she had attacked him earlier but he couldn't say it. Searching for the reason, Harper realised that he was staring at her, and he was thinking about how captivating her eyes were, before suddenly inwardly chastising himself for even allowing himself to be distracted by this woman.

"Well?" Dani pushed, after Harper had failed to respond in good time.

"I don't know," he finally admitted with an air of awkwardness, and he moved away from her scrutiny, and focused on some medical equipment to stop his mind wandering to dangerous places again.

"I can't go back, can I?" Dani then spoke with sadness.

Harper quickly jumped on her words, needing to confront her again to rid his mind of the uncomfortable feeling he seemed to have inside him. "If Yussuf is this all round great guy that you keep trying to convince me he is, then I don't see what your problem is, he's so good surely he'll welcome you back with open arms and a surprise welcome home party," Harper spoke confidently, and his tone suggested that in part he was mocking Dani's faith in the man.

Dani closed her eyes, and it took Harper a second or two to realise that she was now emotionally losing her composure, and he then saw tears escaping down her cheeks. With awkwardness, Harper simply watched for a few moments until he was sure that she was genuinely upset, and in turn he felt his own confused feelings return.

"Dani," he now offered softly, still with an air of awkwardness, as he slowly approached her. "I know this crew, they won't abandon you, you're not alone, they'll find you some place to start a new life, and you'll have your freedom," he assured her.

Dani sniffed, still with tears falling. "Yeah, so long as I give them the information they require, so long as I betray the one man I have ever trusted."

"You don't trust me anymore?" Harper asked, and his voice carried a hint of sadness, no longer mocking her, but he knew he was treading on dangerous ground again, and that her answer could take him to a place he wasn't prepared for.

But Dani looked up with anger towards him, and with her eyes filled with tears, she stared at Harper. "You haven't wanted my trust, far as your concerned it's not worth anything, so I have no reason to trust you anymore, I have all my memories, and all my wits about me now, so I don't need you and I never will," she simply said, her voice purposely cutting to make her point.

"Ok," Harper frowned, feeling that she had maybe gone a little over the top.

"You keep telling me things that I don't want to hear," Dani continued, as she attempted to dry her eyes, and compose herself. "You didn't want to know me, and you think I'm below you, that I'm just some stupid uber puppet that you have no time for, I remember everything now," she stressed gesturing to her head. "You know I actually wanted to know you, to like you but seriously, why the hell did I bother?" she demanded angrily. "I should have just fried you with that live wire when I had the chance!" she continued with fury now.

"Dani," Harper attempted to speak but she soon cut him off.

"I'm sorry I woke you, I don't know why I thought someone like you, a worthless kludge, could help me," Dani stressed with emotion, and she quickly left the room.

Harper let out a frustrated sigh and looked upwards. "Fine, whatever, it's not like I care what you do," he remarked attempting to let her words wash over him, and after a few moments he too left the room, leaving med deck empty.

TBC


	12. Part 12

Part 12

Trance didn't know what to think as she left Med Deck, both her patients had just left and she had no idea why, or where they had gone. She had only left them for an hour or so whilst she had helped Dylan, and they had no reason that she knew of for them to leave, so why, she now wondered, had they both defied her orders? She had been mulling over their possible reasons for the past hour, as she had sorted out a few urgent things for Dylan after their meeting, but Trance now knew it was time to deal with the more pressing issue, and she was going to start with Harper.

"Andromeda, locate Harper for me," Trance requested with a tired air.

"Machine shop seven," Andromeda returned. "Trance, Beka wishes to speak to you."

"Can you connect her to this terminal?" Trance acknowledged and although she really wanted to speak to Harper, she activated the terminal in the corridor. "Beka," she greeted after Rommie followed her instruction.

"I stopped by Dani's quarters as requested," Beka stated. "And you're right, she's here but something is wrong, she's huddled in the corner and won't speak to me, I've tried for the past half hour but with no success, and this isn't like before, she appears upset but I don't know why."

"OK," Trance sighed. "Keep trying to get her to respond, I'll try and stop by soon to see if I can to help in any way," she added.

"OK," Beka agreed and signed off, leaving Trance to turn on her heels, add more questions to her growing list and head for machine shop seven.

"Harper!"

Harper looked up and saw Trance enter the machine shop, and she didn't seem pleased. "What?" he asked abruptly, distracted by his mind refusing to let what Dani had said to him go, and he wasn't in the best of moods as a result.

"Who gave you permission to leave med deck?" She asked.

"I did, next question?" Harper didn't seem too bothered by Trance's words and continued working without further comment.

Trance waited for a moment before adopting a softer approach. "Well at least let me check that you are ok, so I can make it official, so Dylan won't ask what I'm running down on med deck, with patients discharging themselves."

"I'm fine," Harper returned, missing Trance's attempts to lighten the mood but he looked up and caught the expression that always calmed him, the famous Trance smile. "I'm just a little sore and maybe tired, that's all," he finally spoke, and sighed.

"You shouldn't be working," Trance stated, as she quickly scanned him.

"I'm not," Harper moved away from the worktop and retrieved some more materials. "I'm just messing about, keeping occupied, I need some distractions, that's all."

"Did you speak to Dani at all earlier?" Trance then ventured, there was a hesitant manner in the way she asked the question.

Harper considered lying but then thought better of it, this was his friend and he trusted her, and he knew he had wronged by leaving med deck, she deserved something, he considered.

"We said a few things," Harper answered distantly, pretending to be focused on the scanner he was holding, but only succeeded in looking like he was hiding something in the way he avoided Trance's stare.

"What things?" Trance asked, but it was clear that Harper was not going to explain further, so she moved a little closer. "Harper, we found Dani huddled in the corner of her quarters and she refuses to speak to anyone, Beka's been trying to the past half hour to get her to talk, so what happened?"

Harper looked at Trance quickly, with an air of surprise before he frowned once more. "Nothing," Harper said defensively, and put more distance between them, until finally he glanced at Trance and knew that she wouldn't leave unless he said something. "We just said a few things and then we both left med deck, what's the big deal? She hasn't spoken much since she came on board, so nothings changed," he offered remaining defensive in his manner.

"This is different, and you know it," Trance responded strongly.

"Hell yeah, I guess it is different," Harper stated more animatedly, and he glanced at Trance, as he took a deep breath. It was clear that he wanted to say more and Trance didn't stop him. "One minute she thinks she has brain damage, and the next you come along and cure her, it might just be a little overwhelming to her to realise that her life has been a complete sham at the expense of a stupid uber!" Harper declared with surprising passion, as Trance just watched as he continued.

"Trance how do you expect her to react? She obviously worships that uber, and you've taken that away from her, and you've given her doubt and confusion in return," he stressed, and he knew he probably sounded a lot harsher than he intended, but that was how he felt and he wasn't sure where those feelings had come from.

Trace gave Harper a moment to calm down, and he finally looked sad, as he glanced at her. In seeing her expression, Harper suddenly appeared to look guilty, and looked away. Finding more composure, but still facing away from her Harper shrugged.

"Things were said, Trance," he said quietly, and with some shame. "It'll probably be a good idea if I maybe don't see Dani again, I don't think she particularly wants to see me again, she doesn't like me that much," he shrugged, sounding down. "I have issues, she has issues, major issues and this isn't some mindless spat, we just both come from very different places, even if we are both from Earth," he attempted to explain and he looked uncomfortable, as he glanced over to his golden friend. Checking her reaction, Trance offered nothing and simply continued to look at him without speaking. "I knew that getting involved in this mission would be a bad idea, so why didn't anyone listen to me?" he said with regret.

Trance now smiled as she stepped closer to Harper. "Harper," she said warmly and she placed her hand on his arm, to comfort her troubled friend. "I think the only problem here is that Dani does like you."

Harper immediately showed his confusion and then he began to slowly interpret what Trance was trying to tell him with her expression alone. "No way," he now grinned, almost mocking his friend as she stood beside him, but Trance did nothing to indicate that she had been joking.

"She doesn't, not like that," he now disagreed strongly, losing his amusement. "You didn't see her earlier, she said things, does things, she thinks I'm just a stupid kludge, and she slapped me because I said things to her that she didn't agree with," Harper offered quickly, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from what Trance was suggesting, but still she didn't speak to defend her thoughts.

"Trance, you're wrong about this," he stated firmly, not knowing what else to do but protest, with Trance failing to react to his reasons why she was wrong, he then moved away. "What," he hesitated abruptly, unable to find the words, as confusion now reigned, and he felt he'd been put on the spot, he then turned to her confused. "Where did this come from?" he asked "And how is this suddenly about me?" he questioned uneasily, demanding a response now as he stared at Trance.

"You like her too," Trance realised catching something in his manner, and seemed a little surprised by her own words, as she moved to lessen the distance between them.

"No, no way," Harper denied immediately. "Stop this," he demanded sharply with anger, looking every bit uncomfortable and agitated, as he absently checked items on the back shelf.

"Harper I can't explain, but I don't think I'm wrong about any of this, and there's nothing wrong with having feelings for this girl," Trance calmly stated, and with a hint of a smile. "And if I am wrong, then maybe my understanding of human relationships still needs some work, but if I'm right, Harper, promise me you'll be careful."

Harper snapped his attention back to Trance. "Why, what do you mean be careful?" he asked before thinking.

"Dani is the mission, and this is Beka's mission," Trance reminded him.

"I know that," Harper snapped, and he turned back to the shelves, resting his forehead against the cold metal, with his back to Trance. "I don't have any stupid feelings for Dani, well except for bad ones," he said through gritted teeth, almost in disgust at the idea.

"That's ok then, I guess I just need to work on my instincts then," Trance offered sadly. "But please do consider this, Harper, you have me, Beka, this crew around you whenever you need us, and Dani has no one, and she's alone, whatever was said between the two of you is exactly that, between the two of you," Trance said with care. "But just remember that she's still the mission, and you have an obligation to this crew, Harper, to assist with all missions in any way you can, and we need you Harper on this mission," she commented calmly, before leaving the room.

Harper finally turned around and looked for the moment at the space that Trance had recently occupied, not able to totally comprehend or believe what she was telling him, as he began to contemplate his own feelings, and he couldn't help but fear them.

"But what if you're right, Trance," he said to himself, and with a heavy frown he placed his hands down on the work bench and let his head drop. "What if I do," he began but he couldn't finish his sentence, the truth was too scary to admit.

With his head still down, Harper reminded himself of the mission, Dani was the mission, Trance was right, and Harper understood that all too well. He also knew without doubt, that so far he had been the only one who Dani had responded to, and with a deep breath he knew that he owed it to Beka to try and move past whatever grievances he had with Dani, move beyond whatever he was feeling, and help her to get this mission completed.

* * *

Beka stared at Dani, nothing she said or did was making any difference to the guest, and she was at a lost as to what to try next.

"Dani, just give me something," Beka finally spoke. "Are you hungry, do you want to do anything, visit any place? Just say something," Beka spoke slowly and with frustration.

Dani looked up at Beka, but said nothing. Beka looked upwards, what she thought was going to be a simple mission had turned into exactly the opposite and it was taking all her willpower not to throw the slave out of the nearest airlock.

"Beka," Trance spoke up, and Beka turned to see the golden alien gesturing to her to step outside, Beka didn't waste anytime in doing as she was asked.

"What is it?" Beka asked once she was outside the room.

"I just spoke to Harper," Trance said with care.

"And?" Beka asked, not seeing the relevance but guessing Trance had more to say.

"It was just a hunch, what with them both discharging themselves from Med Deck at the same time, without reason," Trance continued, and she seemed to be choosing her words with care.

"I'll kill him," Beka instantly reacted, as she figured it out. "If he's done anything to make Dani this non-responsive," Beka caught her words, knowing that Dani had hardly been talkative before. "More so," she quickly added. "He's going to pay, I don't get many missions of my own, or come across rewards I can realistically claim very often," she seethed and began moving. "All I want is to complete this mission, is this so hard for this crew to understand!" she seethed with frustration.

"Beka, no," Trance hurried after the already departing Beka. "Yes, I think they said things to each other that were not nice," Trance attempted to explain, whilst trying to keep up. "Beka, Harper is the solution not the problem, but he has his own issues with her that have nothing to do with you or your mission, don't you see this?" Trance questioned.

"I get that, Trance, I understand he has this whole slave hang up issue thing he has going on, I'm not stupid, I have figured that one out myself," Beka insisted, as she kept a brisk pace. "But he's going to help me solve this problem whether he wants to or not, I can not waste any more time on this mission."

"I don't think we should push him," Trance suggested.

"I have had my fill of tiptoeing around Harper with this mission simply because he thinks we don't respect him, either he snap out of this or," Beka was stopped mid sentence, suddenly aware that someone else was listening to her.

"Or what, Beka?" Harper's voice sounded, he was stood only a few meters away now. "You going to finally fulfil your promise and throw me out the nearest air lock?" Harper accused. "Hell don't mind me, I'm just being stupid, what I feel is not important right now, so long as you get your freaking reward," he stated bitterly, and then sighed, as he awaited Beka's response but she wasn't even looking at him now, too caught up in her own problems, he considered.

Harper looked at Trance, shaking his head. "This was a bad idea, yes the great Seamus Harper has them sometimes," he decided, more to himself, and made to turn.

"No, Harper come on, you were going to talk to Dani, right?" Trance spoke up quickly, wanting to recover the situation before it became a lost cause.

"I was," Harper agreed, reluctantly turning back. "But I've changed my mind, she isn't worth it, none of this is worth it," he glanced at Beka who seemed close to the edge now, and it became clear to him why he felt that talking to Dani was not a good plan. "Look at her, Trance, you heard Beka, this is my fault and if I go and speak to Dani now, I'll just make a bigger mess of things," he stated with regret.

"Harper," Beka now spoke and she approached the engineer with regret. "Please, just talk to her so we can get this hell forsaken mission done and dusted?" Beka requested, trying to sound indifferent. "I don't want this to come between us, I wasn't thinking, I'm the stupid one," she offered quickly, and she appeared to genuinely want to make it up to her friend.

Harper looked at Beka and appeared in two minds, and he glanced at Trance. "What do I say to her, to Dani?" Harper then asked for her advice with confusion.

"You could say sorry?" Trance offered.

Harper looked confused. "For what?"

"You said you both said things," Trance prompted.

"Yeah, we both said things, so why should I be the one to apologise?" Harper asked, with a stubborn air.

"Because you think you're the better person, right?" Trance guessed, and saw the look Harper now threw her. "So prove it," she added with a coy smile.

Harper looked away and for a moment it looked as though he was going to leave, but finally he sighed and walked towards the guest quarters.

"Harper," Beka called after him and he stopped and looked at her. "Thanks," Beka half smiled.

"No promises," Harper stated downbeat, before continuing into the room.

"We should stay here, just in case," Trance suggested.

"Just in case of what?" Beka questioned.

"In case something happens," Trance cryptically shrugged, and Beka couldn't argue with her logic so they remained outside.

"He'll forgive me, right?" Beka then questioned. "I've treated him like such crap lately, said things I didn't mean, and I don't know why, but," she attempted to explain.

"You're both focused on different things right now, different issues, and neither are compatible," Trance offered. "Beka, Harper will give you the help you need, I have no doubt but Dani is not a simple case, you have to show more patience," she spoke wisely.

Beka took a deep breath. "I have pushed haven't I?" she accepted. "Ok, I'll try to back off, this mission isn't worth losing Harper over, so I'll give Harper time to do whatever he has to do to get Dani to co-operate."

"Good," Trance half smiled.

* * *

Dani looked up and saw Harper stood in the doorway, they didn't speak and instead they stared at each other for a few moments. Harper frowned and finally broke the silence between them, he couldn't see any of what Trance had suggested, Dani was showing no sign that she liked him, quite the opposite as her glare burned into him with hatred. Harper tried not to feel any regret for her reaction to him, but it wasn't easy, he looked away and tried to find a distraction elsewhere.

With the growing silence between them, he knew Dani was expecting him to make the first move, so with hesitation and a sudden feeling of embarrassment, Harper nervously attempted to speak, whilst trying to appear casual. "I'm sorry," he finally offered, inwardly cursing Trance for suggesting he apologise first to prove he was a better human.

Dani didn't immediately react and Harper felt compelled to turn on his heels and leave, and forget he'd even got mixed up with this woman. But just as Harper was about to move, Dani's voice stopped him. "Me too."

Harper felt a sudden wash of relief that Dani had responded, and his feelings took him by surprise as he tried to comprehend exactly what he was feeling. "Good," he then declared, and in a show that he was ok to leave it at that, Harper continued. "Glad we got that sorted, so now will you just speak to Beka so we can all return to our normal lives?" Harper requested.

"I can't return," Dani sighed, and she stood up from the floor where she had been sitting.

"Yeah, you can," Harper offered brightly. "If it's what you want, then just do it, if Yussuf is all big and cuddly, then what's the problem?" Harper asked animatedly, backing away slightly to avoid being too close to Dani.

"You are," Dani spoke quietly.

"Me? What did I do?" Harper immediately asked, and then caught her words, and suddenly the room felt much smaller as he looked at her, and saw that she was staring straight at him, no longer with hate.

"You've sold me on the idea of freedom now," Dani shrugged, giving no indication of anything else she could fault Harper for.

With a brief flash of relief, Harper found his breath again, and some amusement in the look Dani now wore. "It's a lot better than working for an uber," Harper stated softly, relaxing slightly.

Dani looked away before speaking. "You've made me think, and I have thought about a lot of things since I left med deck, and Shay I don't want us to fight," she offered softly. "I want you to be a friend," she said with some uncertainty in her voice, as she glanced quickly towards him, to check his reaction before turning away again.

Harper's nerves returned, and he was unsure where Dani was going with her words, but he wasn't going to encourage what he feared she was leading up to, if Trance had sensed correctly. "Dani, I've already apologised for what I said earlier so it's forgotten already, let's just leave it at that and I'll go," he offered, but Dani turned to face him and he was caught staring at her for a moment, before she spoke.

"Will you help me?" Dani again. "I have no one else to ask, please, at least consider it, I need friends if I'm to make it outside of Yussuf's control."

"Dani, I keep telling you that you do have other people to ask," Harper insisted. "You potentially have the whole commonwealth to ask now," Harper stated as fact. "Look, I guess I can make sure Dylan instructs the commonwealth look after you in the best possible way, but beyond that I can't do too much."

Dani stepped closer to Harper now, and she was looking at him, all of him, as her confidence seemingly was growing with her decision to chose freedom, and Harper didn't instinctively back away as she entered his personal space.

"I'm sure there's a load more people better qualified than me to help you," Harper attempted once more to explain, but Dani was really close to him now and he was growing increasingly distracted by the attention she was paying him.

"I think you can help me a lot more than strangers I don't trust," Dani smiled, and Harper froze as Dani place a hand on his chest, that moved to his shoulder.

"Dani," Harper hesitated in his speech as her face came even closer to his, that he could smell her, and he closed his eyes knowing he should resist but also knowing he was in no hurry to.

Harper glanced at her, and for the first time he looked into her eyes at close range and his more natural instincts took over as he made the first move, and their lips soon met. For a few moments, their actions were uncontrolled and rushed, the surprise and newness of what they were discovering overwhelmed them, as they discovered the feelings they hadn't fully understood before.

Moving slowly backwards, under the momentum of Dani's actions now, Harper found himself responding to her even more, as he slowly continued to kiss her in return. Harper now felt that he fully understood those feelings he had been having, and after having made the first move, he remembered Trance words, and they no longer seemed laughable, and he now desired more, as they continued their embrace.

Finally after what seemed a long time, the need to take some air made Harper pull away and look into Dani's eyes, seeing something close to need in return.

"What is this?" Harper asked, a little breathlessly.

"Didn't you work it out?" Dani asked, a teasing and partially embarrassed smile. "I thought you were a genius."

"Maybe I need to do some extra study," Harper returned unable to stop himself, and Dani moved in again before Harper stopped her. "Look, no, this is a very bad idea," Harper said, as his common sense arrived.

"Why?" Dani asked, her body still close to his.

"Because," Harper offered, but failed to provide an argument before Dani kissed him again, and this time Harper didn't stop her, and their hands now began to explore each other's bodies. A small alarm in Harper's head however caused him to stop once again, and he finally pulled away, putting more distance between them this time.

"What now?" Dani asked with agitation.

"You want something," Harper stated.

"Well spotted, what gave it away?" Dani joked.

"I mean more than me," Harper snapped. "Look, only two women have come onto me like this recently, one wanted me for my mind the other wanted my brain, literally, both I'm willing to bet eventually wanted me dead, and neither one wanted what I wanted, so what the hell do you want?" Harper finished and finally breathed.

"Hey you kissed me," Dani protested lightly.

"You didn't exactly stop me," Harper returned. "You knew what you were doing, just as much as I did," he stated firmly.

"I just want freedom, Seamus, nothing else," Dani stated calmly. "I want to experience freedom and you keep telling me about it, so show me," she stressed. "Help me."

Harper shook his head. "Something is very wrong here."

"Yeah, you're right," Dani agreed with brightness and renewed vitality. "Suddenly I realise that I don't have a brain injury, that I'm not some worthless uber's mate! I've discovered that I'm actually a human being and that it's not a crime to be one," Dani stressed and took hold of Harper's hand. "You've shown me, Shay, you've proved to me that humans have a place in this universe that does not involve uber control, so if that's wrong, then kill me now because I don't want to return to my old life, I can't."

Harper let Dani's passionate speech sink in before he responded. Maybe their little spat earlier had provoked this response, maybe Trance, as always, had been right about Dani's feelings towards him. Did he hate Dani, no, Harper had to be honest. He had hated what she represented, but the person he had discovered, albeit once he worked through the issues, wasn't all that bad, just a little misguided in her life and a little hasty in her actions, and as he looked at her now, Harper couldn't ignore the fact that he felt happy to have her attentions.

"What about this," Harper gestured between the two of them. "You want my help I get that, but what else, that kiss?"

Dani brought her hand up for her temple, shaking her head. "I don't know, I wasn't exactly planning that," she gestured. "And you kissed me."

"And again, you didn't exactly make it difficult, you were practically stood on top of me, don't make this out to be something I instigated on my own," Harper argued.

"I wasn't," Dani quickly returned. "I'm as surprised as you, in part, I just didn't think you liked me in the same way that I kind of like you," she said with some awkwardness, avoiding his stare now.

"Well," Harper partially shrugged. "I don't hate you, even if you have lied and tried to kill me," he stated with a sigh. "I should hate you, hell, I've hated people for much less, just ask Rhade, but I don't hate you Dani, and I don't honestly know why, but I think I may be starting to realise," he offered with a brief smile, as he used his hand to touch Dani's chin, so she looked at him.

"I have also helped you," Dani pointed out helpfully, as she stared at back at him. "And I enjoyed the kiss, you know maybe, I don't know, maybe we have something here?" she ventured with uncertainty in her voice. "Who knows what any of this is, I do know that life is full of surprises, or so I've been told," she said with an air of confusion. "And you have been a surprise to me, Seamus Harper," Dani now smiled with affection towards him, and Harper was momentarily frozen with fear by the look.

"Look, Dani, seriously I do have to think about all of this, away from here," Harper decided suddenly, needing some space, and to breath.

Harper knew that this wouldn't be something he could decide on right now, and just walk blindly into, for once he was able to keep his more natural instincts in check. That realisation already informed Harper that this was unlike anything he had experienced before, there was something very unreal and scary about how he was feeling, he needed to get away but he didn't want to leave, his body however ignored his mind, and quickly he backed away, almost stumbling towards the exit in his sudden haste to leave.

Dani simply smiled, partly in amusement, watching his every move.

TBC


	13. Part 13

Part 13

Harper was still stumbling over his feet as he entered the corridor, and he immediately saw Beka and Trance stood a few metres away down the corridor, but they had failed to spot him.

"Crap," Harper said under his breath, immediately stopping, knowing he couldn't face Beka or Trance at that moment. He quickly glanced the other way but there wasn't a junction for what seemed like twenty metres, and he didn't rate his chances of getting that far without being spotted.

With a deep breath, Harper composed his racing emotions, thinking quickly before he was spotted, he realised that he couldn't walk away. There was still so much he needed to know from Dani, about what had just happened and more importantly, about the mission he was supposed to be helping Beka on. Harper decided without further thought to walk back into the room, but he hesitated on seeing Dani looking back at him expectedly, as he returned.

"We should talk," Harper simply said, but he avoided eye contact.

"I'm sorry if I have freaked you," Dani offered genuinely respecting his space now, but she seemed pleased by his sudden return. "It's just I remember everything you said now, since we met, and I've had time to consider it with a sounder mind, and I agree with what you say, that this is an opportunity," Dani spoke with spirit and enthusiasm, barely taking a breath. "I'm just trying to take full advantage of it," she finished, and her words were directly aimed at him.

"Say if I do help you," Harper spoke slowly. "Will you help me?" he asked.

Dani was already nodding her head. "I'll tell your friends everything I know, if you just say you'll help me."

"And if I don't?" Harper had to question now, and he noticed that Dani made no attempt to answer, as he moved closer to her. "You obviously know stuff about me, and about this ship that is a requirement of your so called job, Dani," he explained pointedly. "And I don't know exactly what you know, so I'm sorry, but I can't help thinking that what you're proposing here, it sounds a lot like blackmail," he said with honesty.

Dani glanced away before looking back at Harper. "I know no other way, Shay, you call it blackmail, I call it a means to get you to listen to me, and take me seriously, so give me a break," Dani requested with passion. "I've been brought up by ubers, so yeah, it's something of an influence," she said with sadness in her voice. "And if you don't believe my intentions, or that I genuinely just want your help, then I'll just have to try harder to convince you," Dani then half smiled, with a hint of suggestion.

"You can't force me to like you," Harper found himself responding, even if it wasn't what he was actually thinking, and he wondered if his voice gave it away. Harper knew deep down that if he encouraged this, that Dani wouldn't have to try hard, and the realisation nearly caused him to walk into a piece of furniture.

Harper was once again attempting to put some distance between them, she was distracting him now, and he knew now that he shouldn't have returned so soon, that maybe it had given Dani too much incentive and encouragement. He had wanted to return however, because it had been too hard for him to walk away, if he had really wanted to leave, he could have found a way, he always used to be able to move around undetected on Earth. Or he could have just faced Trance and Beka and be done with it, but he returned to Dani.

Harper now stared at Dani, wondering what it was he was actually fighting. Was it his feelings, or her feelings, or both?

"I won't have to force you like me, Shay," Dani returned confidently, as if already figuring out how he was feeling at that moment. "Why are you so paranoid?"

"Blame it on my life," Harper simply said, and he sat down to gather his conflicting thoughts putting his head in his hands, needing to focus.

Harper glanced up and stared at Dani for a moment, as she edged closer to him, how many times did he get this lucky with women, that the feelings he had were seemingly shared? How many times did they come on so strong that they were bragging about how he'd be theirs?

Then how many times did women use his weakness for female company to get what they wanted from him, Harper sighed as the doubts returned along with the beginnings of another headache. Above all else, Harper knew that Dani had changed, and his natural instincts were yelling at him to take note of that change and be cautious of the situation, whilst he still had the sense to do so.

Dani was still the mission, and she still had every reason to use him, he couldn't be sure she wasn't working in Yussuf's best interests right now, trying to find a way off of the ship, and he had always suspected that one of the best ways to leave this ship could be through the gullible engineer.

"Look, I have to speak to Beka, and then get some rest," Harper offered with distraction, and stood up to leave, but before he reached the exit Dani grabbed him around waist affectionately, for a quick embrace.

"You're going to tell her about me, right?" Dani stated with a smile, and her eyes locked with his.

"Maybe," Harper shrugged, he felt a little uncomfortable being so close to Dani now as his emotions continued to conflict, he was having to try really hard to resist her small advances, and to ignore her touch that he couldn't help but enjoy. "She already knows a lot about you, with your injury and stuff," he offered casually, and he grabbed her hands and moved them away from his body.

"Just not the stuff about my work for Yussuf, that I told you about," Dani stated, now crossing her arms.

"Well, yeah," Harper agreed.

"If you tell her anything, Shay, I'll never be able to trust you again, and remember that friendships, or even relationships are built on trust," Dani simply said, before moving away.

"Do you trust me now?" Harper asked, remembering their previous exchange where she declared she could never trust him.

"I was just angry before, I never really stopped trusting you," Dani admitted. "Besides, you haven't told her anything yet," she smiled warmly. "You haven't even told them how I hurt you, with that live wire," she shrugged, knowingly.

"I don't tell them everything," Harper returned as a reason, but he could tell Dani was still claiming some sort of victory on that score. If he was honest he knew that Dani had him on both counts, he hadn't told Beka anything, and he had failed to inform them about the shock Dani rendered him unconscious with. "Why does it matter anyway, if it comes from me, when you said you'd tell her everything, if I helped you," he stated casually.

"Because I want to help her, but if you go in and tell her everything where does that leave me? It's not a great start to freedom if I have you acting on my behalf is it?" Dani stated.

Harper considered her point, and she made a good one. With a sigh, he nodded his head. "OK, I've already told Beka enough times that I want nothing to do with this mission," he admitted, and he then moved closer to Dani, he took her hand and for a moment and just examined it with an awkward air. "I won't tell her anything, it's your call," he stated, and moved his attention away from her hands back to her face.

"Thanks," Dani grinned and in a show of her gratefulness she stole another quick kiss before encouraging Harper to leave. "Now, do your thinking, or whatever it is you have to do, and I'll be right here, I promise," Dani gestured. "Waiting," she added, as if already knowing that he would help her.

Harper backed out of the room slowly, and more calmly this time before he turned and entered the corridor. With little surprise, he saw Beka and Trance waiting outside, and this time he was more prepared to face them.

"So?" Beka immediately asked, as she walked over.

"What?" Harper returned cagily.

"Did you resolve things?" Trance asked. "Is she talking?"

"Yeah, she's talking," Harper responded quickly, Beka and Trance now flanked him, as they walked down the corridor. "We resolved things," he stressed, now feeling pressured by their presence either side of him, knowing that he was still getting his head around the whole Dani thing.

"So what happened?" Beka asked.

"Nothing," Harper quickly returned before thinking.

"Ok," Beka replied, and they had to walk fast to keep pace with Harper, Trance doing likewise. "So by nothing happening, you resolved things?" she asked puzzled.

"What is this, am I on trial?" Harper snapped.

"Harper stop for a moment," Beka requested, and on her touch Harper did as she asked and stopped. He looked around, avoiding their stares, before Beka spoke again. "What happened?"

Harper took a deep breath, glancing at both ladies before responding. "She'll talk to you," he admitted.

"Great, well let's go talk to her," Beka beamed with relief, turning to Trance.

"No, wait," Harper stopped her, knowing that he had to talk to Dani first, and the moment he had told Beka that Dani would talk, Harper had made his decision. Whether it was wise or not, he still wasn't entirely sure but the look on Beka's face was enough to convince him that for the short term at least, it was the right thing to do. "She was tired, and she wanted to lie down, so give her a couple of hours?" he requested.

"I can do that," Beka said with gratitude, remembering Trance's advice to be patient, and she reached forward to embrace Harper. "I know this has been tough for you, but I really appreciate your help in this, ok?" Beka spoke as she leaned into him. "I'm sorry for everything I've done recently, I'll make it up to you, ok?"

Harper held Beka close for a moment longer, before pulling away. He was too distracted to fully appreciate Beka's gesture, still unsure if he should encourage Dani's advances, but he also knew that he had enjoyed her attentions. Seeing Beka look upon him as a friend again had made things easier for him to accept, he must have done the right thing, he figured, and Dani wasn't all that bad, she deserved a break, so maybe he could help her, he finally decided.

"Trance," Harper spoke up, and directly looked at his more unique friend. "What you said before," he simply said and it was clear that Trance knew to what he was referring. "How did you know?"

Beka threw them both a puzzled look before Trance responded with a secret and knowing smile. "I sensed it, deep down."

"Sensed what?" Beka had to ask.

"Right, was it a good sense or a cautious sense?" Harper asked, not meaning to ignore Beka but he had to have a second opinion.

Trance shrugged, almost keeping Harper in suspense. "Good, I think," she answered with only a slight hesitation.

"Really?" Harper couldn't hide his surprise, and it certainly made a change after his recent run of bad luck with the ladies. "So," he now hesitated as he tried to make a final decision.

"Harper," Trance stepped forward now. "Do what you feel is best for you, that's all you can do."

Harper looked at Trance, looking for more, before Beka spoke up again. "Guys, what is going on here?"

"I should go and eat," Harper decided quickly, and before anyone could say anything more, Harper promptly left them.

"Trance?" Beka questioned.

"You wanted his help, and he's helped," Trance shrugged, before frowning. "Now we just have to hope that his help is worth it."

Beka looked confused but sensed that she was not going to get much more from Trance, she glanced at the retreating Harper, before returning her attention to Trance. "If it means I crack this mission, then it'll be worth it," she confirmed.

* * *

"Find that ship!" Yussuf yelled in anger, spinning around to his cohorts, unable to believe they had lost the ship.

"They must have had time to repair the damage we inflicted on the Andromeda, and slip stream," a brave man offered, and Yussuf soon stood before him.

"You know, I think they may have," Yussuf mocked. "Do tell me how that happened," he insisted, and the brave man became less so under the tyrants gaze.

Yussuf stepped away and took a deep breath. "I simply want my Dani back," he said more calmly. "But I also need a volunteer to go to the Icpres System," he turned to see all of his cohorts actively offering their assistance.

Yussuf stared at each of them, none of them were Dani, he trusted Dani with his life and soul, but these men would stab him in the back at the first opportunity. Slowly he considered his options before gesturing to Gilchrist.

"You," he ordered and Gilchrist seemed surprised that he had been chosen, checking before he stepped forward. "Come with me, I need to brief you and then you will be on your way."

"Sir," Gilchrist simply said, wondering what he had just volunteered for.

Yussuf guided him towards his office, and gestured for the man to stand before his desk, as Yussuf took his seat.

"Dani is on a mission," Yussuf revealed.

Gilchrist showed his surprise. "Is, but?" he checked unsure.

Yussuf half smiled at the man's confusion. "She was, and she is now, albeit a slightly different one," he announced and stood up. "I have suspected for some time that the new commonwealth, for what it's worth, would try and interfere with my work," Yussuf explained. "Never let it be said that I am a man who is never prepared."

"Ok," Gilchrist looked nervously at his leader.

"I need you to deliver the information that Dani was unable to, but also some new instructions," Yussuf confirmed.

"I can do that," Gilchrist stated, with confidence.

Yussuf simply smiled. "Then we just have to hope that Dani is in a position to play her part."

"She will know what to do?" Gilchrist asked.

"I'm counting on it," Yussuf partly smiled, and then gestured for Gilchrist to stand up. "Now take this, and make your way to the Icpres system immediately, and ensure all orders contained in that message are followed."

"Sir," Gilchrist stressed and got to his feet with haste, before quickly leaving the room.

TBC


	14. Part 14

Part 14

Harper now sat in silence, as he stared at the food in front of him, food that he had taken purely for the sake that it was a distraction, but he had since discovered that he wasn't really hungry. So involved in his own thoughts, Harper didn't notice when Dylan joined him.

"Usually, after you sit down, you eat it," Dylan offered, as he got comfortable.

"Dylan," Harper spoke up with obvious surprise, jumping slightly. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"So it seemed," Dylan agreed. "Everything ok?"

Harper nodded his head, an attempt to appear relaxed and perfectly fine, failing miserably as he looked confused and slightly hyper instead.

"Harper, I've known you for quite some time now," Dylan began, taking a quick bite of his food before continuing. "And never before have I been in your company for this long, without you talking to me about something mechanical, or some grand plan for an experiment, so come on, what's up?"

"Dylan," Harper began to protest. "I don't just talk about work," he lightly argued, seeming a little offended by the observation.

"To me you do," Dylan returned calmly, but in a tone that was encouraging Harper to convince him otherwise.

"Lies," Harper objected sharply, and then saw the stern look the captain now threw him. "I mean, I'm not calling you a liar but I talk to you about lots of things, I once told you about," Harper hesitated and looked away for a moment. "Stuff," he couldn't think of any examples, and he soon sighed. "OK, so yeah, I normally bore you with my work woes, I admit that but you are the captain, so it's your job to listen to them."

"Harper, just tell me what's wrong, I'm not that hard to talk to you know," Dylan offered calmly and with a slight smile, continuing to eat his food, whilst Harper pushed his own plate away.

"It's nothing," Harper returned, and Dylan just stared at him unconvinced. "Look it's nothing that you have to be worried about, and you have enough to worry about with the world ship and everything," he offered in his defence, but the captain still stared. "Look, its just Dani, Beka, and this mission, nothing important," he offered with a dismissive shrug.

"I thought things were going ok, Beka certainly seems a lot calmer now with the situation, in fact just a few minutes ago she said it was all in hand, and Dani was ready to talk," Dylan stated positively, as he continued to eat.

"It is all in hand," Harper agreed. "I just have to have a quick chat with Dani about some stuff, and everyone is happy, and it's no biggie," Harper tried hard to sound convincing. "Like I said, it's nothing important," he added.

"For someone who wanted nothing to do with this mission, with our guest, you sure seem to have hit if off, what changed?" Dylan asked, and it appeared in tone to be an innocent question, as Harper attempted not to react to his words.

"I have changed," Harper responded, and hoped that he had been right to believe that Dylan's observation had been purely an innocent one, and that he hadn't guessed the same as Trance had. "I was hasty, judgemental, I wasn't thinking, old hang ups that I shouldn't have brought to this mission," Harper offered softly, finding a distraction now with the table surface. "And now I know I can help Beka, that's what I'm doing, I'm helping Beka, and that's all that matters."

"But," Dylan prompted.

"No buts."

"So you sit here often with a bowl of cold food for company?" Dylan gestured to his untouched food.

Harper looked away from Dylan, shaking his head slightly. Was he suddenly such an open book? And he now inwardly raged, but he also knew that getting defensive or angry would not help matters. It then occurred to him suddenly that he could use this time with Dylan to his advantage, who better to discuss women with than the Casanova captain himself, Harper figured.

"Dylan, can I ask you something?" he finally spoke, continuing to avoid eye contact but Dylan made no obvious objections to Harper's request; he seemed rather encouraged by the question. "Where do you draw the line, you know when you have these relationships with all those females who are directly involved in our missions?"

"All those females?" Dylan scoffed. "Harper, a little exaggeration don't you think?" he protested with a nervous smile. "I do not have relationships with every female we help," he quickly added defensively.

"I think you protest too much," Harper smirked. "Seriously, Dylan, when you're on a mission and its to do with helping a female, like our missions strangely always tend to revolve around, how do you know if its right to, you know, get involved," Harper asked, and he looked at Dylan to await his reaction.

"You and Dani?" Dylan suddenly spoke with amused joy, jumping to the one conclusion that Harper had hoped the captain wouldn't.

For a moment Harper didn't speak, he looked away from Dylan, and felt his cheeks slightly burning from the attention Dylan was now giving him. "It's not like that," Harper spoke quietly, and Dylan waited for more. "But it could be," he offered awkwardly. "I don't know what it is," he finally admitted.

"And you're worried about the effect this could have on the mission?" Dylan asked.

"Beka's mission," Harper reminded him with obvious concern.

"I can certainly understand your concern," Dylan agreed with consideration.

"What if, well what if she's like the others?" Harper asked, now looking at Dylan.

"The others?" Dylan questioned, a little unsure, and he was trying to recall previous times that Harper had been in anyway involved with any female during the time he had known him.

"Come on, the other females that have taken an interest in me," Harper stated firmly, trying to prompt the captain. "Every single one of them, well, ok," Harper said with resignation. "Both of them, they wanted something else, and they used me to try and get it, what if this is the same?"

Dylan frowned, and he vaguely remembered the two females in question now, or at least thought he did, he was still unsure exactly. "Usually I just make sure I don't put myself in a position in which they can use me," he offered.

Harper smirked. "Meaning that you use them," he spoke with a mocking tone.

"Its true that I don't always just get involved for the thrills, Mr Harper, sometimes you have to do certain things to get certain results," Dylan objected, trying to make it sound reasonable.

"You know, I hear that's also how babies are generally made," Harper mocked.

"I get involved with these females for a number of reasons," Dylan continued ignoring Harper's comments. "It's not just to get them in my bed," he stated, making a point.

"Hell no, you get involved for the intelligent conversations, the joy they can bring you and company on those long winter nights," Harper continued to mock. "Come on Dylan, I wasn't born yesterday, I know that you use them, and you don't make a secret of that fact, especially if it helps the mission."

"Mr Harper," Dylan was not amused. "My relationships are not in question here, and I fail to understand what exactly you are hoping to gain by this discussion."

"What if I don't want to get involved with her just to help the mission?" Harper questioned now with a tone that Dylan had rarely heard before from the engineer, it came across as so serious. "What if she does actually like me, and what if I like her too?" he questioned. "Where does that leave us?"

"Then just see what happens," Dylan suggested. "Harper there are never any guarantees with this stuff, and I don't always go into a relationship of any kind with a female knowing what will happen, that's the fun part, the discovery of what might be."

"But I'm afraid, Dylan, I just think she's going to use me like the others, regardless of what she says," Harper admitted softly, and sounding down once again as his fear reflected in his expression. "Right now, I don't know what to think, I mean what if she is genuine?" Harper questioned now towards Dylan. "Do I just walk away from that without finding that out? She could be the one, the Mrs Harper I've been looking for all my life, I can't ignore that because of what's gone before, can I?"

Dylan could see the confusion and conflict now in Harper's expression, and it didn't seem natural to see the kid so cut up like this, especially over a woman. "Are you sure she's interested in you?" Dylan asked.

"We kissed, a couple of times in fact, man, it was a battle to make her stop half the time," Harper offered with mocking gestures.

Dylan seems almost impressed. "She came onto you?"

"Technically I made the first move, but only after she practically threw herself at me," Harper pointed out. "I wouldn't have done anything if she hadn't encouraged it, up to the point that she did, I just thought I was being my usual self, you know?" he shrugged. "And I seriously wasn't interested, but that's a whole different issue," he dismissed.

"What about now, do you still want to know her better?" Dylan asked.

Harper took a deep breath. "Now, I can't stop thinking about her and I hate myself for it," he admitted bitterly.

"Why?" Dylan was a little surprised by the revelation, and the changed tone of Harper's voice.

"That whole different issue thing," Harper sighed, but felt he couldn't leave it there, Dylan needed to understand, he figured. "She acts like a slave, and she has been brought up by ubers, and serves them," he said with obvious disgust, but he had to be honest. "Dylan, where I come from," Harper took a deep breath before continuing. "We just don't mix, you know? Slaves are just uber pawns, and usually I want nothing to do with them," he stressed. "Most of the time they are no better than the ubers who beat on us, who kill our people," he stressed talking of past times he had experienced.

"But you're not on Earth now, surely those prejudices should not exist here," Dylan simply said.

"Yeah, maybe, and I know she's different," Harper explained. "And now here I am in the comfort of space wondering what we might have together, and if what I'm feeling towards her is real, and should I be giving her a chance?" Harper stated with petulance. "All the time knowing that if this was Earth, it wouldn't have made a freaking difference what the circumstances were," Harper's voice now grew louder. "Facts would be that she's an uber slave, I'm the mud foot kludge, and we don't mix, we fight, and I'd have probably killed her already with my own hands," Harper stressed darkly, and with anger he quickly got to his feet.

"You've killed slaves just because?" Dylan had to ask with some degree of shock at the revelation, it was a revelation he hadn't been prepared for, or had expected from his engineer.

Harper closed his eyes for a moment. "No, well, not directly, a lot of the time I just thought about it," he admitted. "I hate slaves, they really get under my skin and what the hell am I talking about because this has no freaking relevance, she's not even a slave," he sighed loudly, with his tone changing, as he looked upwards.

"She's not?" Dylan asked intrigued.

Harper looked back at him, realising he had revealed information unintentionally. "It'll all be in Beka's report," he dismissed quickly, deciding that he wasn't going to explain further to Dylan. "Dylan, I'm not you," he finally gestured pacing the room now. "I don't generally have women falling for me, usually I have to chase them, and then feel the pain of a slap around the face when I get annoying," he sighed, he would have laughed too, if it hadn't been true. "But I don't want to turn her down, even if it goes against my better judgements, or my instincts, just because in the past when women have wanted me, it's only been to use me, or kill me."

"So, Dani is different because she only acts like a slave, and she finds you desirable?" Dylan offered, with a hint of a smile.

Harper avoided Dylan stare, and he started to shake his head. "No, Dani is a slave, who am I kidding?" he sighed again, and this time with resignation. "At the end of the day she has an uber for a master, she works for an uber, and that makes her a slave, an uber puppet, it's all the same," Harper insisted allowing his past to influence his judgements again. "But she does want her freedom, and she's asked for my help in getting it, and a part of me wants to help her," he admitted.

"But there's a part of you that can't let go of your prejudices, or your past," Dylan considered.

Harper simply frowned, then sat back down. "The part that means I'll probably never give Dani a fair chance regardless of her intentions good or bad, and I'll never find that special one," he sighed, now showing signs of feeling sorry for himself, as he rested his chin on the table, with his hands holding his head.

"You're lonely," Dylan offered.

"No," Harper instantly rebuked sitting up again, not wanting to appear needy, even if Dylan may have been onto something. "I just don't want to jeopardise Beka's mission," he said with sincerity. "She wants this so bad, how can I even contemplate jeopardising it by trusting someone like Dani, when all my instincts, and everything I know, is telling me not to trust her let alone help her?" he questioned, as if seeking understanding for his actions.

"Then resist doing anything for the moment until the mission is completed, and if Dani is serious, on all counts, then she will wait, and then," Dylan partly smiled now. "Then, go for it," Dylan suggested calmly.

Harper however didn't share his enthusiasm. "That's just it, Dani says if I help her, and by that I don't know, I think she means to help her find freedom, or it could be if I accept her advances, be more than a friend to her," Harper shrugged unsure. "Well, say if I don't push her away, then she'll willingly talk to Beka," Harper informed the captain. "In other words, if I ignore her, tell her I won't help her, or stay away, then Dani will continue her unhelpful act, and then Beka will never complete her mission, because without Dani, I can't see how she can."

"Ok," Dylan considered the new information. "Sounds like blackmail."

"It does, doesn't it?" Harper conceded and leaned back in his chair. "And I told her that, but she denies it, says it just her uber upbringing way to do things," Harper explained uneasily. "But usually, any form of blackmail is not a sign of true love, right?" Harper now smirked, finding amusement somewhere.

"But by co-operating with Dani's demands, you will help Beka complete her mission," Dylan considered with some thought.

"So what do I do?" Harper genuinely asked.

"I personally would use the situation to my own advantage to get the job done, the mission completed," Dylan simply said, as he crossed his arms.

"Take advantage of her, say I'll help but keep my options open, and make Beka's year?" Harper stated to make sure he understood what Dylan was suggesting, not looking exactly pleased by the conclusion. "Dylan, once again I'm not you, I'm not sure I can do that, at least convincingly," he sighed.

"I have faith in your abilities, Harper," Dylan supported. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit in your abilities to deceive," he then hinted. "How many times have you told me, convinced me even, that everything is fine with my ship, when in fact the truth is, you're holding it all together with nothing more than your own determination?"

"That's different, that's me dealing with machines and it's a totally different situation," Harper countered confidently. "Harper dealing with humans however, especially of the female kind, not so easy or straightforward, I can't just will them to co-operate in the same way I can with machines, no matter how determined I might be to succeed, if that was the case with women," Harper frowned. "Then we wouldn't even be having this discussion."

"You just have to stay focus and not let Dani become too much of a distraction, until such a time you are confident that her feelings are genuine," Dylan explained firmly.

"Stay focused," Harper repeated, unconvincingly, as he brushed his hand through his hair, and he began to nervously smile. "I really should talk to you more, Dylan, you seem to be mistaking me for someone who finds all this stuff easy," he sighed.

"You've never given me the impression of someone with a lack of confidence before, Harper," Dylan was forced to object. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

Harper just grinned. "Maybe you listened to me too much then," he looked down at the table. "I may talk big, a lot of the time," he quickly added. "But doesn't the evidence speak for itself? Look at me," he gestured. "I don't exactly have woman hanging off of me at every port, I'm lucky if they even let me look at them."

Dylan couldn't help but smile, but he looked away to save Harper his full amusement. "Harper, just stop thinking for a moment, because I think that's what this is all about, you're thinking too much about this."

Harper took Dylan's advice and for a moment he didn't speak, and just considered the situation for a moment. "I just can't see any other way, if I don't accept her advances, then I'll never know if we have anything, and Beka may never complete her mission, I only have one option, don't I?"

Dylan appeared to agree. "Harper, only if you believe that you can keep control of the situation, should you consider encouraging this," Dylan stated clearly. "Whatever it might be and whatever the situation turns out to be, whether its true love, or just enough on your part to complete the mission," Dylan stressed and Harper hung onto his ever word, as Dylan continued.

"If you don't have that confidence in your own abilities to keep control, and if find for any reason that you don't trust Dani, then it's probably fact that you never will," Dylan warned. "Harper, there are always other ways, so whatever you decide with regards to Dani, it will not be the end of the world, and if you request that we get her off the ship, either now or later on, then we will and you'll have our full support regardless," Dylan offered with conviction. "We'll just have to approach things differently with regards to the mission, and I know Beka will understand," he assured him.

"And if she genuinely likes me, and has no hidden agenda, then, no problem, right?" Harper said with a hint of optimism. "She'll talk, Beka gets her mission, and I'll ride off into the sunset with my new love," he said wistfully.

"Right," Dylan agreed with a smirk. "But you still have commitments to this ship, don't forget that," he added with amusement.

"I could never leave Rommie, I made her what she is today," Harper grinned.

"Seriously, it seems to me that you are already more than aware of the dangers, and all that you are feeling now is the anxiety of not being able to predict the future," Dylan shrugged. "Unfortunately, we can't all be Trance," he added with amusement.

"Yeah," Harper idly agreed. "But just as long as I keep my wits about me," Harper said, his mind now running through the possibilities.

"Just stay focused, don't allow her to have any opportunity to blindside you, that's if her motives are not genuine," Dylan suggested. "Maybe let her know that whilst she is still the mission, that you can't get too close, keep things professional, and take things slow, that way if she is genuine she will understand, I'm sure."

"Yes," Harper suddenly brightened, as if Dylan had finally given him the answer he was seeking. "That's it, I'll say yes to her, I'll say I'll help her, on the proviso that we take things slow, if I meet her demands, she'll have to meet some of mine," Harper declared with more spirit. "She has to understand that my priority at this time remains with the mission, you're right, I should know then how serious she is by her reaction," he enthused and stood up.

"Right," Dylan smiled. "And if you need to talk, find me next time, and not a plate of cold food."

"I will," Harper grinned and seemed a lot happier as he quickly left the mess deck.

* * *

Yussuf was smiling as he received the update from Gilchrist. The minion had arrived without incident to the Icpres system, and orders had been passed to those who needed them. Gilchrist now looked back at him on the monitor, where Gilchrist was looking very pleased with himself for successfully completing his part of the mission.

"Thank you," was all Yussuf said, and then he watched as another man stepped up behind Gilchrist on the screen, and fired a single shot, that hit the minion directly in the back. "You have to understand that at this time of increased security, all potential weak links must be eliminated," Yussuf continued, as Gilchrist breathed his final breaths.

Yussuf disconnected the communication, having enjoyed the show of power to his people. He hadn't got to where he was today by making mistakes, or by letting others think they could outsmart him, and soon the Andromeda Ascendant crew, and the Commonwealth, would discover this fact.

TBC


	15. Part 15

Part 15

Harper took a deep breath as he stood at the doors of the guest quarters, finally he stepped forward and activated the door release, and he stepped inside. The room was dark, and it took a moment for Harper to adjust his eyes to the low lighting.

"Seamus," Dani's voice was heard, but he couldn't see her.

"Dani," Harper returned, and he looked around, finally seeing that she was lying on the bed, and his nerves rapidly returned. "I could come back, if you're tired?"

"No, just taking a nap, I wasn't expecting you back so soon, thought I had scared you off for good," Dani quickly got to her feet and adjusted her clothes. "So, I guess you have had time to think?" She said with a sleepy manner.

"Yeah," Harper simply responded.

"And?" Dani asked. Harper's silence seemed to speak volumes as Dani watched him closely, until she finally frowned and backed away. "I knew it, I obviously freaked you out, and now you think I'm a freak, and that I'm planning your death right now," she began, with a panicked air. "I just not really good at this, where I come from its take what you want or just shut the hell up, I guess I should have taken the second option this time."

"Are you even interested in anything I may have to say?" Harper asked, briefly wondering if this is how it was for others to speak to him sometimes.

"Not if it's not what I want to hear," Dani admitted honestly.

"Well, I want to take you on a tour of the ship," Harper offered.

Dani looked at him strangely. "That's not an answer," she pointed out.

"Along the way, maybe we can start to get to know each other a little better, you know?" he shrugged, the suggestion now a little clearer.

"You mean," Dani hesitated, not allowing herself to read too much into his response. "That you're really going to me a chance?" Dani checked. "You will help me?"

"It just means I want the opportunity to get to know you a little better, so if I do help you, there will be no more surprises," Harper offered brightly. "And if there is a next time that we might get close, I won't feel like you're a stranger that I know nothing about, and I won't freak out," Harper smirked, mocking his own reactions.

"You are shy," Dani smiled. "Don't tell me that I scare you," she added.

"I am not shy," Harper protested then backed down slightly. "And you only scare me a little, but with good reason I might add, you don't know the women I have known," he stressed. "Look, let's just go already?" Harper gestured to the door.

"So romantic," she remarked in response. "I've read classic novels you know, and I don't remember the one about the tour of a crappy star ship and a demanding little mud foot engineer," Dani stated.

"You don't read the novels I read then," Harper simply grinned. "And Rommie she didn't mean that about you being crappy, I promise," Harper offered then looked at Dani, as he moved closer to her. "No one calls Rommie a crappy star ship, understand? Not unless you like cold showers, so let's just get that one thing straight, ok?"

"Giving me orders already," Dani remarked.

"Just keeping you in line, and on this warships good side," Harper corrected.

"Like I need discipline, forgetting what I am so soon?" Dani asked absently.

Harper took a deep breath, and tentatively led Dani from the room. "What you are is not something I'll be able to forget very quickly, no offence."

"I know," Dani already seemed to have accepted that fact. "But I'll work on that, and you'll see that I'm not like all the rest," she assured him.

"I think I'm already getting that part," Harper shrugged and they began to walk side by side towards engineering. Harper now felt a slight awkwardness between them, knowing that he was partly the reason for this, as he continued to try and understand what he was feeling. Dani for her part seemed to understand and respect his uncertainty, as she made no attempts now to get too close to him, or too personal with him, and he inwardly sighed, wondering if he'd ever understand the situation to his own satisfaction.

* * *

On the command deck, Rhade looked up as Beka let out another frustrated groan, and with a slightly amused grin he got the first officer's attention.

"Still no response?" Rhade asked.

"Andromeda," Beka looked up, having only glanced at Rhade in reaction. "Where is Dani?"

"Dani is currently on deck eleven, with Seamus Harper," Andromeda responded, as she appeared looking back at Beka, on the view screen.

"Why?" Beka found herself asking.

Andromeda considered the question and prepared her answer. "It appears that Harper is giving Dani a tour of the ship, and it appears to be quite an extensive tour."

"A tour?" Beka demanded. "She's supposed to be talking to me, not taking in the views."

Rhade took the opportunity to speak up. "Maybe Harper feels it will help relations, to make Dani feel more comfortable on board?" he suggested from his station.

Beka took a deep breath, remembering Trance's advice about showing more patience and trusting Harper. "Fine, whatever, Andromeda how long do you think they will be?"

"Dani has been up from most of the day, Beka, and with the incidents we have experienced today I would recommend that whatever you need to see Dani for, that it wait until morning," Andromeda returned.

Beka checked the time, she hadn't realised it was so late. "You're probably right, ok, I guess it can wait till morning but you make sure Harper realises the time too, he's had more of a traumatic day than her," she stated firmly, remembering the attacks from earlier.

"I will ensure your concerns are passed on," Andromeda simply said, and disappeared from the screen.

"In one day he's gone from not wanting anything to do with that girl, to giving her a personal tour of this ship," Rhade remarked.

"And your point is?" Beka asked.

"Just that it's quite a leap to make in one day," Rhade shrugged.

"You obviously don't know Harper very well, this is normal for him," Beka partly smiled. "He thinks quick, he talks quick, he moves quick, and he changes his mind just as quick," she stated. "You get use to it," she added.

"Still," Rhade crossed his arms. "For someone so adamant that he could not help, he seems to now be doing more than his fair share of helping."

"Rhade just say what you want to say," Beka demanded.

Rhade looked at Beka with a touch of surprise, but conceded that he had been beating around the bush. "Unless I'm mistaken it appears to me that Harper may be more than a little taken by Dani, why else would his attitude towards her so drastically change?"

Beka took a moment before responding. "We don't know that that's the reason," Beka dismissed, but then sighed. "But I'd be lying if I hadn't thought along the same lines, maybe I know Harper too well," she looked over to Rhade. "Crap, why didn't I see this coming?"

"You're not his mother," Rhade grinned. "And as you said, we do not know that that is the reason, maybe because she only responds to him, that he feels responsible somehow?"

"Harper?" Beka checked. "Responsible?" she added, and Rhade tried to hide his amusement to Beka's observation. "Well, whatever is going on can wait, now I've noticed the time, I'm going to rest, and try not to think about what mess Harper could be getting himself into, he is a grown man after all," she sighed.

"Barely," Rhade had to remark as Beka passed him.

* * *

Harper stepped onto the Obs Deck, knowing that it was getting late now, having already had Rommie remind him, but he had to show Dani this final place on the tour. Stepping forward, Harper gestured to Dani to move beside him and allowed her to fully appreciate the view before he spoke up. "This is my second favourite place after the machine shop," he simply announced.

"Why?" Dani asked brightly, before taking in the view.

"Isn't it obvious?" Harper asked. "Come on, look around you," he offered. "You have that fantastic view of the stars over there, and over here," he gestured before running the short distance to the other side of the deck. "Over here is the plants, Trance's pride and joy, and when I get stir crazy, as you sometimes do being in this metallic environment I pay this place a visit, reminds me of being planet side, and I don't know about you, but I just need that sometimes."

Dani was caught in the moment as she took all of the sights and smells in, as she walked to join Harper by the expanse of flowers. "I can't believe this is on the ship, it's beautiful," she offered, reaching out to touch some of the closest plants.

"I just find that it's a nice change of pace, the smells just feel nice and natural, as opposed to the rest of this ship that's so controlled and unnatural," Harper shrugged.

"So you do have a soft side," Dani remarked, and Harper naturally shied away, quickly moving to some crates.

"Let's sit down for a moment, I think we still need to talk about a lot of things," Harper encouraged.

"Talk, is that all you want to do?" Dani asked suggestively.

"Yeah, I mean, other stuff is good, don't get me wrong but talking is what we really should do now," Harper stated a little awkwardly, and struggling to remain composed as his fears surfaced again, and then he gestured to Dani to take a seat.

"I enjoyed the tour," Dani said brightly, sensing that Harper wasn't enjoying this time as much as she would like him to.

"Good," Harper smiled now but looked distracted. "Look, I've been thinking a lot about what you said, your ultimatum, and as you already know I've decided that I want to help you," he offered, attempting to appear calm in his delivery. "As opposed to the second option that had me running freaking fast to the hills, but you should know that it was a close one, I'm still not really sure if that second option should be my first," he frowned, and then looked at Dani who simply appeared amused by him.

"Go on," Dani encouraged.

"I just want to take things slow, and by that I mean everything, with you still technically being the mission, that has to take priority, and it does affect things, important things to me," Harper explained with care. "But I also want you to know that since you said those things, since, well, intentions were made known between us, I am looking at you differently, in fact maybe for the first time," he admitted with a frown.

"And is that why you're giving me a go?" Dani asked with a smile.

Harper grinned in return. "I've been giving a lot of things some thought, lots and lots of things," Harper suddenly looked tired as he recalled everything he had considered. "And as I mentioned, I'm still not sure if this is the right thing to do, or why I'm doing this, what the real reason is," he shrugged honestly. "I've been burned a few times lately by helping the female of the species, and I'm not entirely sure if I'm just encouraging you for the sake of the mission or because I really want this between us," Harper sighed and then frowned, finding it so easy to talk to Dani this honestly, that it felt almost unnatural, and then he took Dani's hand into his own. "There's so much going on here," he continued before Dani stopped him.

"I understand," Dani assured him, and she put her hand on top of his now. "You want to take things slow, I can do that, slow is good," she smiled confidently. "I know that I can be pretty demanding, I really do know that, comes with being brought up by ubers," she smiled with some amusement. "So let me talk to your friends, help with their mission and then we'll see where that leaves us."

"Seriously?" Harper had to ask; he hadn't expected it to be this easy.

"I'm in no hurry either, I may act like I am, but truthfully I'm not, and what I said earlier, it wasn't an ultimatum that I gave you, just a shove in my direction, the right direction I hope," she offered brightly and then sighed. "I've only just reclaimed freedom, so I want to live a little," Dani continued. "I guess my original actions of encouraging you to kiss me, it was only because I needed to let you know how I felt, I was testing you to see if you felt the same and when you kissed me," Dani briefly smiled before continuing.

"It only showed me that you were interested, nothing more, I don't expect anything of you, Shay, just your attention so that we might have a chance at something, if it's to be," Dani brought her hand up to his face, and stroked his cheek gently. "I know you have issues with me, and I know that we can work these out, and I also know that right now might not be the best time, but we have time, Shay, I'm confident of that."

Harper felt comforted by her words, and her touch, and she didn't sound like a psycho, quite the opposite as Dani appeared to be genuine enough in her actions. Looking at her now and seeing her looking at him in hope, Harper couldn't help but lean forward and, after a brief hesitation, they gently kissed, with less passion this time and more control.

After a moment they broke away, it felt so right suddenly and Harper remained close to Dani, resting his forehead against hers, whilst putting his arm around Dani's shoulder's softly taking a moment to just have Dani close to him, realising how nice it felt to have someone close, how long had it been, he briefly wondered?

"I'm starting to hope that we can make this work," Harper simply said after a few moments, surprised by his own admission and honesty. "I'd hate for this to be nothing more than another let's take hapless Harper on another trip to broken heart land," he frowned sadly, finding it even easier to talk to Dani, and talk frankly, about his fears and feelings, he felt so safe in her company, and he guessed that was learning to trust her.

Dani shushed Harper. "Shay, I wish I could prove to you that this isn't what you fear, those who have led you on before, right now I wish they had never existed," she gently spoke. "And we will make this work," Dani added quietly. "Now that I have your attention, I won't have to freak you out again," Dani tried to lighten the mood. "I haven't helped things have I?" she added when Harper didn't respond to her attempt.

Harper now smirked as he moved away from Dani's touch, reclaiming his own space. "It was a shock, and something of a surprise, I don't usually have this affect on women, usually it's a more painful experience," he frowned. "I'm not sure I totally understand what's happening here, I mean I've been in your company now for well over an hour and you haven't slapped me once, or insulted me, this is new territory for me," he smirked. "I mean I haven't even propositioned you yet, no one will believe that," he continued.

Dani smiled warmly, having let Harper finish before she spoke again. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Many times," Harper returned quickly, and then shyly looked away from Dani. "Just usually it's all from my side, and it's never been returned yet, what about you?" he quickly asked, so as not to dwell on his track record.

Dani shrugged. "I don't think so, but sometimes I have thought I have but it's not worked out yet."

"Yussuf let you have relationships?" Harper asked with surprise.

"Hell no," Dani returned quickly. "He's never found out about them that's all, let's just say what he doesn't know, can't hurt him."

"But no doubt if he did know, he'd hurt them pretty bad," Harper responded with slight trepidation. "So you and Yussuf," Harper ventured now, swiftly changing the subject from that of pain.

Dani noticeably tensed up, taking a deep breath, knowing what Harper was implying. "I'm not proud of anything that has gone on between me and Yussuf, but I won't lie to you, we've been together a few times, nothing serious, and all with consent, to a point."

"To a point?" Harper questioned.

Dani noticeably tensed again. "We have an understanding," was all she offered. "Besides, it doesn't matter now does it, I'm not going back, right?"

"He's already sent ships to fire on us, Dani, he's not giving you up without a fight," Harper explained. "You seem pretty important to him, do you think he'll give up the chase?"

"No," Dani admitted with a heavy sigh.

"So should we really be doing this?" Harper had to ask.

Dani got to her feet and looked upwards, before looking back to the still seated Harper. "We can make this work, you told me to take this opportunity, well I am, Seamus, if I want to be free, I just have to want it, right?"

"Yeah, but," Harper attempted to speak but Dani soon cut him off again.

"Seamus, with your help I know I can be free," Dani now declared, and she fell to her knees and rested her hands on Harper's knees. "You escaped Earth, and I know that's no mean feat, so I can escape Yussuf, but I can't do it alone I'm too naive for this universe, please continue to be my inspiration."

"Oh, sorry," a new voice disturbed them.

Harper looked around quickly, and saw Trance backing away. "It's ok," Harper stood up, as Dani backed away. "We were just leaving," Harper offered and Dani got to her feet to stand beside Harper, and she simply smiled as she followed Harper towards the exit.

"Dani," Trance called after her. "I need you to report to med deck tomorrow for a check up, I have been studying the results of the scans that I took from you, and you have a few deficiencies that I need to give you a course of medication for, but it's nothing to worry about."

"She does the same to me," Harper remarked. "Pumps me full of stuff in the hope she cures my severe case of that 'being human' condition," he added with a grin.

"Harper, you know I'm only trying to help," Trance returned with amusement to his words.

"I know babe," Harper returned.

"I think you should report to med deck tomorrow too, I'm still concerned about the possible damage to your lungs and considering you didn't exactly leave med deck with my permission," Trance responded.

"We'll both see you later then," Harper sighed and with Dani, they left the obs deck, with Trance grinning behind them.

As they entered the corridor Harper began to lead Dani towards the guest quarters. "We should call it a night, maybe continue this tomorrow?"

"I hope so," Dani smiled warmly. "Although I wouldn't object if you want to stay with me tonight, continue this getting to know each other vibe."

Harper paused before speaking. "Dani, remember the buzz words?" Harper stated finally, even though he was tempted enough to give her invitation some consideration before he spoke.

"Take things slow?" Dani checked, and saw Harper nod his head, albeit unconvincingly. "I never took you for a following rules kind of guy, or for being the perfect gentleman, I'd come to understand quite the opposite about you," she spoke, indicating that she knew more about him.

Harper decided not to ask questions this time, the mood wasn't right to question why she had thought that of him, after all it probably wasn't a secret that he liked to try his luck at every space port they stopped at.

"Where would the fun be if I was predictable?" Harper returned playfully. "Besides, I'm tired, you must be tired too, and you're still the mission so it wouldn't be right," Harper stated, thinking up more excuses but sticking to the ones he had said for now.

"So once I'm not the mission?" Dani prompted.

Harper simply grinned as they approached her quarters. "I'll catch up with you in the morning," he stated.

"You better had," Dani said as Harper moved closer to her, and he seemed to be taking in her every feature, as his hands found her waist.

"Now that you'll know who I am, and where you are in the morning, it will be harder for me to try and avoid you," Harper remarked with a grin, and then he quickly moved forward and kissed her. "Have a good sleep," he offered, as he pulled away and she simply moved backwards towards her quarters with Harper watching until she had closed the doors behind her.

As Harper finally began to move away he soon stopped and hesitated, finding himself in two minds suddenly. Seemingly battling his instincts and his emotions, and Harper didn't move for a few seconds.

"Harper, your quarters are two decks down, far end of the corridor," Rommie helpfully reminded him as she appeared at the junction near to his location.

"Funny," Harper frowned at the android, but Rommie's interruption of his thoughts seemed to have enabled him to start moving again, as he walked away from Dani's quarters and towards Rommie.

"You like her," Rommie observed, as she walked beside him now.

"Not jealous are you?" Harper mocked.

"I do not feel jealously," Rommie confirmed. "But I am still concerned that you are not receiving enough rest after your accident, I hope you are returning to your quarters to rest."

Harper simply smiled. "So you do care," he offered.

"Of course I care," Rommie seemed offended. "I don't want to lose you."

Harper glanced at Rommie with interest. "What's brought this on?" he enquired with interest.

"Nothing," Rommie was quick to dismiss, but Harper's stare burned into her now. "It's just I heard your discussion with Dylan, and I've seen you with Dani, plus hearing Beka and Rhade discussing it," she attempted to explain.

"Whoa, hold on, Beka and Rhade discussing what?" Harper questioned.

"They suspect that you have feelings for Dani," Rommie answered. "They are not wrong are they?"

"Is there such a thing as a private life on this ship?" Harper complained. "And what does it matter?" Harper demanded, but he saw Rommie look away in a manner that seemed that she didn't quite understand the tone of his reaction. "Look, Rommie, yeah I may have some feelings for Dani," Harper attempted to explain, though he was not comfortable with it. "But just because we spend a bit of time together, come on, it doesn't mean anything, Rom doll, don't get all upset on me," Harper requested.

"I'm not upset, Harper," Rommie protested.

"It's only been a few hours and already people are tagging us as a couple," Harper stated with obvious horror.

"I've known you to declare undying love in less time to a female," Rommie pointed out. "And sometimes you declare that love after just a few seconds of seeing said female, Harper."

"Ok, ok," Harper couldn't deny his usual eagerness. "But this is different."

"So this time it is genuine?" Rommie asked with interest.

"Did I programme you to be so direct, Rommie?" Harper asked, with slight amusement, as he reached his quarters. "I don't know, and I'm not entirely sure I want to know, especially if I'm going to put under this much scrutiny for it," he sighed.

"I'm happy for you," Rommie declared.

"Happy for what, exactly?" Harper asked confused.

"I have experienced a lot of instances where two people have met, and formed a friendship that becomes something more," Rommie stated. "When I had a full crew, it wasn't unusual for people to meet, and I used to observe them like any of my crew, what I have seen today has reminded me of those times, so I'm happy that you have found a new friend, Harper," Rommie explained.

Harper just smirked and shook his head fondly. "Thanks, Rommie, you really are a piece of work sometimes, and I'm glad you an example of my piece of work," he simply said with some pride, before retiring to his quarters.

TBC


	16. Part 16

Part 16

Beka was already wearing a frown as she entered med deck, having woken up roughly an hour before and now appeared trouble, as she got Trance's attention, but she waited for Trance's to finish what she was doing, before speaking.

"Trance, has Harper been given permission to start working again yet?" She asked.

Trance looked concerned. "No, and he should still be resting, he never follows my advice," Trance complain lightly, showing a slight frustration.

"No, you misunderstand," Beka spoke up quickly. "The strange thing is he hasn't even attempted to work since he left this place yesterday, so tell me, what's going on?"

Trance calmly looked back at Beka, but showed her confusion. "Maybe he has decided to take my advice finally?" she offered but could see that Beka was looking for more, and she didn't understand what. "Beka, the first shift of the day has only just started, and Harper is not on any schedules to work, so why the concern?"

Beka hesitated, but it was clear that something was troubling her, and Trance was still confused. "Harper doesn't normally stay away from his work, and I was just wondering if I should be jumping to conclusions," Beka offered now, as she glanced at Trance. "It's just that I've noticed that Dani has not been spending too much time in her quarters since yesterday," Beka offered. "And I've been trying to find her alone to have this little chat, but she seems to always be in Harper's company, and it's been hours since Harper spoke to her about this, and told us that she will speak to us," she continued.

Trance sighed and finally gave Beka her complete attention. "Harper has been spending some time with Dani," she admitted. "But I'm sure all that you have to do is ask, and Dani will speak to you, have you spoken to Harper about this?"

"No," Beka admitted. "But what happened to Harper's 'didn't want to know' stance?" Beka questioned with confusion.

"Beka, is this about Dani, or Harper?" Trance had to ask, sensing that Beka was unsure as well.

"I just want to talk to her about this mission, and Harper said that we'll be able to, but he failed to tell me that she'll only talk when he's not busy with her, and what the hell have they got to talk about that takes nearly all day?" Beka demanded, her frustration becoming clearer. "And I am trying patience, Trance, I was a lot angrier about this when I first woke up, and was told that Dani was resting due to turning in late, after spending the evening with Harper on some stupid tour of the ship," she quickly added.

"Beka, is there a reason why you are so agitated by this?" Trance asked. "I think you need to firstly calm down."

"I'm trying to be calm about this," Beka offered with a sigh. "I was even joking about this with Rhade last night, but to wake up and discover that she's now sleeping due to not returning to her quarters till late, having spent all her time with Harper yesterday," Beka seethed.

"Beka," Trance interrupted her. "Is this about Dani or Harper?"

Beka stopped and considered Trance's question after the second time of asking. "OK, it's about Harper, what the hell does he think he's doing?"

"He's helping you with your mission, Beka, that's all he's been doing all along," Trance stressed with conviction.

"Trance, I'm not stupid," Beka returned. "And I know that women and Harper do not make a good combination, and Dani is still my mission," Beka stated abruptly, and then paused for a moment, realising the severity of her voice. "Look, if I'm reading this right, and I may be wrong, it's just I've seen him get hurt so many times by women, and if he has a thing now for Dani, we can't encourage it," Beka stressed with concern.

"Beka," Trance attempted to speak but the blonde captain soon stopped her.

"No Trance, I can't think of any other reason why he's in her company this much, and he better not be using me as an excuse to talk to her," she stated strongly, then smiled briefly. "You know I've never understood Seamus's little fantasy's, and this one sure ranks up there with the oddest, usually he doesn't start off his obsessions by declaring he wants nothing to do with them," Beka tried to be amused, but she was still clearly concerned. "But I've dealt enough with the flip side of his fantasies, they all end the same," Beka recounted with a sorry frown.

"Beka I really think," Trance attempted again but to no avail, Beka was on a roll now.

"Look, just call me paranoid if you want, tell me I'm jumping to conclusions but I know Harper, one track mind a lot of the time," she explained with care. "So I don't think we should encourage this friendship that I can only imagine is developing, I just know that she's the sort of girl who is going to use him like all the others if he shows just an ounce of interest in her, and Harper is useless at hiding his feelings in these situations."

Trance decided this time not to respond immediately, and instead she simply busied herself for a moment before speaking, to make sure Beka was finished. "I don't think it's our place to tell Harper who he can be friends with," she stated calmly.

"Trance, we both know Harper, but we know next to nothing about Dani, and that's the reason why she's this mission, because we know nothing about her, so why doesn't this concern you?" Beka questioned. "You don't want to see Harper get hurt anymore than I do," she added.

"Because all they are doing is getting to know each other, becoming friends, and Harper has very few ties to his home world, he may have us around him, but who does he have if he just needs to remember home?" Trance responded with care. "And Beka, Harper did not lust after Dani, usually when he gets burned he's the one who walked willingly into the traps, blinded by the notion of love, but he's had his eyes fully open for this one since day one, Beka, so just trust him."

"Him I trust, to a point," Beka admitted. "It's her, she is not all that she appears, we've learnt that much already," Beka lightly argued.

"The two of them will be here soon, I asked them to stop by," Trance spoke up after a pause. "You'll have an opportunity to talk to Harper, whilst I see Dani."

Beka nodded her head, appreciating Trance's offer. "I wish this damn mission was over already," she admitted, and as she spoke she heard footsteps outside and turned to see Harper and Dani arrived.

Harper noticeably flinched on seeing Beka, as if sensing her mood and he guided Dani towards Trance, before acknowledging the blonde captain.

"Beka," Harper simply greeted.

"Can we talk?" Beka asked.

"Sure," Harper agreed and with Beka, they moved towards a side room for some privacy whilst Trance spoke with Dani.

"Is there something I should know?" Beka asked almost as soon as the door was closed.

"It's not what you think," Harper instantly spoke, seemingly prepared. "Well, maybe it is, but its not," he attempted to explain.

"Harper, are you and her," Beka hesitated and gestured with her hand towards Dani's location. "Are you seriously warming in anyway to that girl?"

"Yeah," Harper shrugged his shoulders as he responded. "Beka, it's not like any of the other times, I mean she approached me," he offered.

"All the more reason to listen to those alarm bells, Seamus, and stay the hell away from her," Beka had to be honest with her friend.

"Beka, she approached me but I made the first move," Harper further explained then began to pace the room. "I know, I know," Harper spoke quickly. "I even know why we're having this talk, hell, I am hearing those bells loud and clear but it's different," he admitted with passion. "I asked if we could take things slowly, and she agreed, Beka, I could explain my doubts to her, about her still being the mission and she understood my concerns, she has not pushed me, and I've not pushed her, I mean I haven't even attempted to, well you know," he shrugged, and then frowned as his confusions returned.

"Harper, as much as it pleases me to hear you've finally reached adulthood with relationships I still do not like this one little bit," Beka responded firmly. "You can not trust that girl, we know next to nothing about her."

"Well, I do know stuff about her," Harper objected. "And you will too, after her check up, you and Dani can go and talk, and she will give you all the help you need, ok?"

Beka stared at Harper. "Really?"

"Yeah," Harper confirmed with confidence.

Beka sighed and then looked at Harper closely. "Please tell me that she was still willing to do this regardless of what's starting between the two of you."

Harper now hesitated, he felt uncomfortable suddenly. "My accepting of her advances may have helped matters," he admitted awkwardly.

"Crap, Harper," Beka snapped, although her anger wasn't aimed at him. "Did she say that she would only talk if you, I don't even want to know," Beka dismissed, her anger now unfocused as she tried to compose her thoughts, she turned to the now silent Harper. "If she's forcing you to do anything, Harper, just stop this now, this mission is not worth this sort of risk, I'm not going to ask you to do this," Beka insisted.

"I'm in control," Harper attempted to explain.

"How can you be so sure?" Beka demanded with concern. "This girl belongs to Yussuf, remember him? He doesn't think twice about cutting down a man for simply wearing the wrong colours together," Beka reminded him with force. "I won't let you take this risk, not for me or this mission, don't, I will beg, Harper, please, don't do anything," Beka stressed with so much passion that Harper had to look at her with concern now. "Please tell me you haven't done anything yet, to assist with the mission," Beka asked.

"Not exactly, she just wants my help, to help her find freedom, Beka," Harper offered quietly.

"How exactly are you supposed to find her freedom, Seamus? When you belong to a huge ugly uber named Yussuf freedom is not possible," Beka stated.

"I thought we were working to rid this system of Yussuf, and his uber control," Harper countered, his voice reflecting his growing agitation towards Beka. "If we do, then Dani will be free."

Beka took a moment to calm down, and consider facts with a calmer mind. "Harper, if you are seriously falling for this girl and her feelings are returned then fantastic, no one I know deserves a break more than you," she said with fondness. "But why, Harper, why have you chosen the one girl who has a master who is currently blowing up and maiming half the system in search of her? Why does she have to be your new girlfriend?"

"Look," Harper now snapped with anger. "She's not my girlfriend, get that straight in your head, and she's going to talk to you and that's all you've wanted since the start so be freaking happy that I've made that possible!" Harper snapped and made to move back towards med deck.

"Harper," Beka made up the ground between them and using both hands she stopped him, turning him around to face her. "When I was with Bobby, you never stopped trying to convince me that I was with the wrong guy, and you were right," she stressed. "When Able Ladrone came back into my life, you again did what you had to do to make me see that things were not how they appeared," she explained. "So please, remember how you felt when I kept pushing you away during those times, because I thought you were talking crap."

"Able wasn't all that bad though, in the end, I mean you two could have made it work," Harper admitted.

Beka shook her head. "He kept things from me, and you know I don't like secrets, hell it's one of the reasons you found yourself on my crew, remember?" Beka corrected.

"Beka, any man that tries to win your heart I'm going to object to, even if Mr Perfect turns up, because I don't think there's a man alive good enough for you," Harper said with care.

Beka just stared at Harper, and a smile crept across her face. "That's an interesting footnote to remember," she now grinned, her hands still firmly placed on Harper's upper arms. "But I seriously believe that Dani is not the girl for you, and if you are just pursuing this because of the mission or because she made the advance for a change, then please think seriously about what you are doing."

"Beka, all I have done is think, and very seriously about this," Harper said quietly. "Hell I even got advice from Dylan, and I never apparently casually talk to Dylan," he shrugged, still a little confused by Dylan's earlier accusation. "But take a moment to seriously think about this, and take everything into consideration, Beka, I've only been technically seeing her for about sixteen hours tops, not even a day yet, so don't stress about it, at least not until a few more hours have passed, or maybe even days," he now smiled with mocking tones.

Beka smirked. "Ok, maybe I'm jumping the gun but I know you Harper, king of one night stands, you work on full speed to our normal, so usually it just takes a glance for you to claim undying love to a stranger."

"I am seriously going to have to work more on my image," Harper sighed, remembering Rommie saying something very similar the night before. "Look, I appreciate your concern, makes me all warm and fuzzy but Beka, Dani is not like the others, I promise that I am fully aware of what's going on here, I know the risks."

"You spoke to Dylan about this?" Beka checked back a little. "Why does that make me more concerned?" she wondered.

Harper rolled his eyes in reaction to Beka, but continued what he was saying. "This is different, Beka, but I can't explain, it's just that Dani is different," Harper said with care. "But if she turns out to be another bitch queen from hell, then so be it, this time I'm ready for her, so bring it on," Harper declared. "But I'm not going to just turn down any woman because I've had a streak of bad luck lately, and sorry Beka, just as you seem to ignore my concerns until that point I can declare 'told you so', I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine in this case," he partly grinned.

"Point taken and maybe I don't know Dani well enough to judge her as a suitable partner for you," Beka conceded with amusement. "But doesn't mean I'll back off, I'll be watching her, and you," she stressed. "There's no way I'm going to let her hurt you."

"You won't be watching all of the time I hope, you might get arrested," Harper mocked. "And a reputation," he added.

Beka lightly hit Harper around the arm. "I mean, ewww Harper," Beka couldn't even justify his comment with a return, and she hit him again.

"Beka to be honest, I doubt it'll get very far anyway," Harper conceded. "Call me strange but going out with a girl who has someone like Yussuf on her tail, like you said, well it sure kills off any of those gooey romantic feelings," he smirked.

"So you're playing her along for the mission?" Beka questioned.

Harper shrugged, with a secret smile. "Maybe, at least so she talks to you and stops using me as a communication device," he offered but he saw Beka's reaction and quickly continued. "Don't worry, soon as she's spoken to you I'll back off totally, and how she reacts will be a sign as to how genuine she actually is, right?"

"Well I can't pretend to be happy about you doing this, but then again, why am I surprised, Harper?" Beka grinned trying to be happy for the help he was giving her, and she put her arm around his shoulders to walk him back to med deck. "Just promise me that as soon as I've had the chat with her, that you don't take any stupid risks for the sake of this mission, or whatever, regardless of anything, ok?" she requested in hush tones, as they approached Trance and Dani. "I still don't like or trust her, and I don't want to have to pick up any pieces of you because of her."

"I promise," Harper simply responded, before moving away from Beka's hold to go to Dani's side.

"Seamus," Dani greeted happily, as she jumped off the cot and waved an injector towards him. "Look, happy juice, wanna share?" she teased, continuing to wave the formula of drugs Trance had made up for her at Harper.

"Got plenty of my own, thanks," Harper dismissed, with a grin.

"That's just for you, Dani," Trance warned lightly. "With Harper's immune system that little formula would probably keep him smiling and dancing on the ceilings for a week if he caught just a whiff of it," she added with a smile, keeping the light atmosphere.

"Hell, bring it on then," Harper joked and playfully made to grab the injector but Dani moved it away quickly.

"Hey, it's my happy juice, get your own," Dani responded in kind.

"If Harper would just come over here to the cot he can have his own happy juice," Trance stated, and reluctantly Harper wandered over knowing it was his turn to be prodded and poked.

"Dani," Beka spoke up.

"Can we talk?" Dani pre-empted the end of Beka's question, and saw Beka nod her head. "Sure, I have some things I want to tell you, and I'm sure there are plenty of questions that you have, Shay has convinced me to trust you."

"Good," Beka smiled towards Harper, but it was more strained than warm, and Harper knew, as he glanced at Beka, that she was not buying Dani's co-operation in the same way he had.

"Dani, if you want, I could come along as soon as I'm done here," Harper offered, sensing Beka was not going to give her an easy time.

"Ok," Dani simply agreed. "But don't make Trance rush on my account, be a good patient," she grinned, with mocking tones.

"I need to do a couple of things before I can check you, Harper, if you don't mind waiting?" Trance requested.

Harper shrugged, and seeing the look Beka threw him already told him that she wanted to speak to Dani alone so he made himself comfortable on the cot. "I can wait," he agreed.

"Come on, Dani, we'll use the meeting room," Beka smiled towards Harper, and guided Dani, as they both left the deck, leaving Harper to simply watch as Trance went about her duties.

TBC


	17. Part 17

Part 17

Harper was about done counting the rivets in the med deck bulkheads, when Trance finally returned to do his check up. Harper sat up and looked at Trance questionably.

"You said about half hour," Harper accused.

"I got caught up, you know Dylan has an important conference coming up soon," Trance offered. "I had to put together some reports for him, about the Magog and the injuries they cause," Trance looked at Harper knowingly.

"Infestations," Harper guessed and looked away for a moment. "Man, wish I could focus on the minor matter of the magog, and the world ship, anything looks easy in comparison to this stupid mission," Harper complained, and with a sigh he looked towards the doors.

"How are you feeling?" Trance asked to swiftly change the subject. "Harper?" she added after he didn't respond.

"Sorry, distracted," Harper admitted, turning back finally from the main doors.

"I mean how are feeling, physically?" Trance smiled. "It's pretty obvious how you are feeling otherwise," she slyly smiled.

"Am I really that obvious?" Harper seemed disappointed almost.

"At least you're not denying it now, like earlier," Trance returned.

"It's only been a few hours and look at me," Harper sighed. "I'm telling her to take things slow, yet, I get these moments like now where I don't want to be away from her," he frowned.

"It's something new, it's going to distract you for a while," Trance reassured him, as she sorted out the medical equipment she needed.

"It's really consuming me right now, I can't think straight, and its all people want to talk to me about, I mean I don't even know if this is serious, or what it is," Harper explained with confusion obvious in his expression. "It's not even been a day yet and people are judging us," Harper sighed, showing how much of a strain it was beginning to be on him. "At this rate we'll be married and divorced before the day is out," he added, attempting to lighten his mood.

"I won't take up too much of your time then, sounds like you have a busy day ahead," Trance grinned, and then began to scan him. "You're just excited, and everyone else is just worried, but only because they care about you, that's all," Trance then spoke. "Things will settle down in a day or two, and then you'll know what you might have."

"If she's anything like my previous girlfriends, we won't have to wait that long, you'll just find me unconscious somewhere or catch me betraying the ship, way before then," he frowned, remembering his more recent liaisons.

"Harper, give this a chance," Trance simply said, as she stepped closer to him. "Don't judge Dani on previous events in your life."

Harper narrowed his eyes. "You told me that you thought you sensed good about this, what did you mean, and what do you see?" Harper asked.

"I don't see specifics," Trance offered cagily. "I said 'I think' because Dani doesn't appear to me to be completely honest or above board, but I do think the feelings she has for you, however small right now, are genuine enough."

"Doesn't mean she wouldn't hesitate to knock me out after fooling me into helping her escape, if that is her plan," Harper idly remarked. "It's not like she hasn't done so already."

"What do you mean?" Trance immediately asked, and Harper instantly looked up at Trance with his full attention.

Shaking his head dismissively, he attempted to figure out what to say, and eventually he just sighed with defeat, knowing he'd said too much and he'd better come clean. "She may have electrocuted me during the attacks yesterday, I was unconscious for a while I think," Harper shrugged as casually as he could.

"Oh," Trance returned a little taken aback.

"She still had the memory thing going on," Harper offered in her defence. "She didn't know me, and thought I was a threat," he shrugged again.

"I see," Trance simply said.

"Come on, you must have seen the mark," Harper lifted up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal the fading injury on his arm. "It wouldn't have healed this quickly otherwise."

Trance immediately stepped closer and took a closer look. "I missed this injury, I mean I wasn't looking for it, I concentrated only on your breathing and lungs when you were admitted," she stated.

"But, it was a burn, they don't heal this well without treatment," Harper responded. "I know all about healing times, and I know this as fact, maybe one of your team did something?" he suggested.

"No, you were solely assigned to me, I was planning on checking you for further injuries but time went against me, and then you discharged yourself," Trance explained.

Harper took a deep breath. "So who did this?"

"Only Dani was in the area with you whilst you were unconscious," Trance revealed.

Harper looked away. "Maybe she was covering up what she did, she felt guilty?"

"The equipment we use is not easy to operate without training," Trance checked the fading mark again. "And by all accounts, this is a professional job."

"So, I have found someone who's handy with the old medical equipment, that's good isn't it?" Harper attempted once again to lighten the mood.

"Only if you don't ask yourself why she is so skilled at fixing burn marks, or any other injuries we are not aware of yet," Trance stated with concern.

Harper was silent in contemplation before he spoke again. "Look, we don't know for sure that Dani did this," he offered. "Maybe one of your team saw that you had missed it, and dealt with it?"

"Maybe," Trance reluctantly agreed. "But why did you fail to tell us about this earlier, about what she did to you? Is this why it took you so long to contact us?"

Harper just nodded his head. "I would have told you, but yesterday was pretty hectic for me, for all of us, so I just forgot," he shrugged.

Trance considered his reasons, and knew that it was true, and that the day had been a long one for all of them. She looked at Harper closely, showing some concern. "I still think it was important enough for you to mention, considering Dani's position on this ship right now, something like not mentioning that she had rendered a crew member unconscious is something of an oversight, Seamus," Trance explained. "She could have seriously hurt you."

"I feel fine," Harper dismissed all too easily. "It's Dani I'm worried about," he admitted looking towards the door.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Beka won't eat Dani alive," Trance smiled.

"She'll solve one of my problems if she does," Harper figured, still not knowing what to think of Dani, and the situation he found himself in.

"Let me test your lungs and then you're free to go, and I would recommend you head straight for you quarters and get some more rest," Trance stated, and gestured to Harper to lie down, and move his arms, as she placed a medical instrument against his lower chest. "Do you feel any pain in this area," she asked, as she pressed the device into his chest slightly, and took a scan and some readings.

"Just some aches, nothing serious," he offered.

"Now breathe deeply into this," Trance requested as she handed Harper a modified scanner. Harper did as she asked and grimaced as he reached the end of his breath. "Still experiencing pain when you breathe?"

"Yeah, but only when I breathe deeply," Harper was still grimacing as Trance took the scanner away.

Looking at the scanner, Trance frowned. "Your lungs are still recovering after recent events, so I'll give you something to help ease that pain."

"Thanks," Harper accepted and then frowned. "Do you think I'm being a fool?"

"A fool?" Trance asked innocently.

"For giving Dani the time of day, even though you said you didn't sense anything bad from her, what do you really think?" he quickly offered.

"I'm not your personal horoscope, Harper," Trance returned calmly. "Just because I don't sense something, does not mean it's not there."

"So tell me, what does your instinct say?" Harper pushed.

"That you should be careful, like with any new relationship," Trance advised.

"Not even sure we have a relationship," Harper admitted. "I mean, bar taking her on endless tours of the ship, or doing the other thing, which I'm really trying to refrain from doing just yet surprisingly, what else is there to do around here that can come close to a having a relationship?"

"Use your imagination," Trance suggested.

"If I do that I'll probably be thrown in the brig," Harper looked a little concerned suddenly.

"I mean, find things to do that will mean you both interact, as friends, so you discover more about each other," Trance explained. "There must be something you can both do?"

"My stores need tidying up," Harper remembered idly.

"Not exactly romantic," Trance said with amusement.

"But practical and maybe not being romantic is a good thing right now," Harper suggested. "I mean, if she can tolerate tidying stores with me, and me complaining on top of that, then maybe we do have something going for us?" he shrugged.

"If you do decide to do that, can you please ensure you remain on top of the materials this time?" Trance partly mocked.

"Funny," Harper smirked. "I best go find Dani, rescue her from the third degree of Beka Valentine in full protective mode."

"Beka's just concerned for you, Seamus," Trance gently smiled.

"I know," Harper agreed with a grin. "We're both as bad as each other in that department, and maybe this time I'm glad I have Beka looking out for me, because I'm sure as hell not comfortable with what's developing here, but I'm also, I don't know, I am kind of excited by it too," he offered awkwardly.

"Enjoy it, and even if it ends tomorrow, you're having fun now, right?" Trance simply said. "You know we'll be looking out for you, so relax, all I ask is that you consider getting some rest sometime soon," she added.

Harper nodded his head, appreciating Trance's advice before he left the med deck.

* * *

"Will you stop playing with that thing?" Beka requested, seeing Dani continuing to twirl her injector around her fingers, she soon stopped after Beka's request. "So, let me get this straight, you worked for Yussuf as a messenger?"

"Yeah," Dani agreed.

"And your supposed brain injury made you the perfect carrier as you wouldn't remember the information until a few days had passed?" Beka checked.

"Correct," Dani smiled.

"What information did you pass on?"

"Security details, classified information on politicians and other important figureheads, or instructions to senior pride members," Dani returned without fuss.

"Do you remember these details?"

"Yeah," Dani nodded her head. "Did you hear about the attack on the Holtar System a few months back?" Dani asked and saw Beka nod her head. "I passed on the security codes that enabled Yussuf's men to take the back door in, and surprise them."

"Dani, over three thousand innocent people lost their lives in those attacks," Beka pointed out.

Dani looked uncomfortable momentarily. "I hadn't heard that, we don't get much feedback," she offered quietly.

"We need to stop Yussuf, or at least dent the amount of control he has over this sector, regain some control for the people who live here under his regime," Beka explained.

"Ok," Dani simply responded but without emotion.

"Is there anything you can tell us that could compromise Yussuf?" Beka asked.

"Is this why you took me?" Dani checked before answering.

"Yes, the Commonwealth has suspected for a long time that you were more than just a slave, Commonwealth intelligence placed you at the scene just before any major incident," Beka offered.

"Right," Dani responded distantly, and appeared to be thinking. "I'll have to think about this, what exactly I know and if it can be useful to you," she offered softly.

"I'll give you till tomorrow morning, no longer," Beka stated. "And now, I just want you to listen," Beka checked that she had Dani's full attention. "I don't know what is going on between you and Harper, but if you try anything, or you hurt him in anyway, you won't just be hurting him," Beka warned in a low voice. "He has a lot of friends, that's all I'm going to say."

Dani sat back, looking relaxed as she stared back at Beka, a hint of a smile on her face. "What can I really say?" she asked in a defensive pose. "Even I'm not sure what is going on between Shay and me," she frowned. "I can't promise anything, so I can't reassure you, I wish I could but in truth," Dani now shrugged. "I don't think he's interested, ok, so right now the idea might intrigue him but come on, to him I'm just some stupid slave."

Beka now sat back, this had been unexpected. She had expected a more defensive response, or possibly an attempt by Dani to try and convince her that she meant Harper no harm, but instead, Dani was relaxed, understanding and even indifferent to what was going on.

"Do you seriously like him?" Beka had to ask.

Dani shrugged, and crossed her arms. "Yeah, he seems a nice guy, a little short, a little odd in the way he sometimes expresses himself," Dani explained. "But I think he's someone I could have fun with, just a shame that he's a kludge, and I'm a slave or things could have been perfect."

"Do you seriously have a problem with him being from Earth?" Beka had to ask.

"Not really, but he's one of those," Dani explained with care.

Beka narrowed his eyes. "One of what?"

"It's hard to explain, but he doesn't like slaves, right?" Dani offered.

"Yeah, I guess," Beka agreed.

"Well, I come into that category, in his mind anyway, and I swear that even though he might try to convince himself that it's not a problem, it will be," Dani stated assuredly, and Beka saw a sadness in her expression that threw her. "Maybe it won't always be obvious, but it will always be there, niggling at him."

"So what are you expecting?" Beka asked with interest now.

Dani just shrugged again, displaying an indifferent attitude. "Nothing," she answered, and she brought her hand to her head. "Look, I get that you're worried, and all that does, other than make me wonder what I'm getting into with Shay, is to be more jealous of him," she stated, and got to her feet. "I want what he's got, that's what I expect now that I've chosen freedom, he's shown me what I could have, that's all I expect."

Beka took a moment to look at Dani, this had been the first time she had properly spoken to the girl and annoyingly Beka had found her to be co-operative, talkative and even worse, likeable. It served mainly to make her more suspicious on one level, but on another, Beka was now seeing her as a human being, not a slave, or a mission, or anything else and what scared her more was that she could see her with Harper, now they had spoken she could understand a little better what Harper was attracted to.

Beka took a deep breath and looked at the pad she had in front of her, distracted by her thoughts now that she had spoken to Dani, and she knew that Harper was now planning to back off, and cool things down between them. With a glance, Beka partly smiled towards Dani as the silence continued, and she made out that she was contemplating the next move. It seemed as though Dani was fully expecting Harper to back down, to move on swiftly, but Beka could also see that Dani had some feelings, genuine feelings in her mind, towards Harper.

Beka got to her feet with an air of trepidation, Dani was only her concern as far as the mission. Her priority would always be to Harper, and knowing that he could get out of this mess now, intact and with his part of the mission now done, Beka was only too pleased.

"Well I think everything that we needed to discuss has been said, so I'll see you tomorrow, after you've had a chance to think about what we discussed about Yussuf," Beka confirmed and Dani stood up, but with less enthusiasm.

"Sure," Dani agreed distantly, and on cue Harper appeared at the door.

"Harper," Beka greeted. "We've just finished," she added quickly, and she couldn't help but wish he hadn't turned up here, Harper had been given the perfect opportunity to keep out of sight after his check up, under the guise of resting or even going back to work, but here he was.

"Great, got everything you need?" Harper asked brightly, moving beside Dani.

"Yeah, Dani has revealed some useful stuff," Beka agreed, and briefly smiled at Dani in an attempt at nice. "Shouldn't you be resting, Harper?" Beka asked, almost hinting, to try and get some kind of response from Harper on the matter.

"I will," Harper complained. "I just wanted to make sure everything was fine here, and that everything went ok," Harper attempted to explain.

"I was on my best behaviour," Beka returned, but she was given the distinct impression that he had found it hard to stay away and deep down she felt a bad feeling, but she had to trust that Harper would keep to his word.

"So was I," Dani spoke up with amusement, totally missing the unspoken words between Beka and Harper.

"Good, good," Harper smiled now, and for the moment there was an awkward silence between the three people.

Beka then moved towards the exit. "Dani, I'll see you in the morning, and Harper, I really think you should go and get some rest, Dani knows her way around now, and she doesn't need a chaperone," Beka suggested, giving the engineer's shoulder a quick squeeze before leaving.

Harper looked on as Beka left them, and silently nodded his head, understanding and acknowledging Beka's instruction, even though she didn't speak. He knew she was giving him the all clear, Dani had said enough, she had talked, and now Beka was encouraging him to back off from Dani like he said he would once Dani had talked. Harper could only stare at Dani, as his thoughts raced, and he wondered if he had really said what he had said to Beka.

Dani turned and smiled on seeing him. "Hey, did you get a good report from Trance?" she asked, moving closer.

"Yeah," Harper stated with a hesitant air. "So how come you're still in one piece? I was sure Beka would have torn you to strips."

Dani just smirked. "I did what she asked, told her what I knew and promised to consider what more I could offer in assistance to bring my boss down."

"Ex-boss," Harper corrected her.

"Yeah," Dani stated and looked closely at Harper. "You look tired."

"Yeah, I should go and rest, now is as good a time as any whilst it's quiet around here, doesn't happen often," Harper explained, but he didn't move and instead just looked at Dani.

"Can I join you?" Dani then asked and then quickly continued. "I mean; just to hang out, nothing more," she added with amusement.

Harper gave it some thought, and he had to admit that he couldn't think of a good reason not to let her hang out with him, in a purely innocent way of course, he considered, even though it wasn't exactly keeping his word to Beka. "Ok, but I do need to rest," he stated, reasserting some form of control on his part.

"I won't get you into trouble with Trance, I promise," Dani grinned.

"It's not really Trance I'm worried about," Harper said under his breath, and just shook his head, as Dani walked with him back to his quarters.

* * *

The room was full of activity now, and Yussuf checked read-out after read-out with excitement. Moving to another desk, Yussuf joined more of his more senior staff, a smile plastered across his face.

"We have them, pass on my thanks to the people who provided this information," Yussuf declared. "The Andromeda Ascendant has been found, and with it my Dani," he beamed.

"Do you want us to launch another attack?"

"No," Yussuf stressed almost immediately. "We wait, just keep them under observation and don't let them escape us again."

"Sir," the older general confirmed.

"Alert our people in the Ipcres system that we are nearly in a position to go," Yussuf ordered. "The Commonwealth conference still lists a certain Captain Dylan Hunt as a guest speaker, so no doubt the Andromeda Ascendant will soon be making its way to the Ipcres system, and into our trap, so that is when we will strike."

"I like it, sir," the senior general confirmed.

"It's only a slight modification to my original plan," Yussuf offered. "The major change being that Dani is no longer able to infiltrate the Andromeda crew at the conference," Yussuf explained and then beamed. "But she should remember what her mission was now, and realise where she is, on board the very ship, with the very crew that I wanted her to infiltrate, and that she's in an even more perfect position to complete her mission, so that we'll finally be able to bring this damn Commonwealth to its knees, begging for mercy."

"I would suspect that any man on that crew would find Dani hard to resist if she sets her sights on them," the general beamed now.

"My Dani is hard to resist," Yussuf confirmed with some pride. "It's just a shame that any man I find so much as looking at her, will find out exactly how I feel about them doing so," he seethed with menace, and the general noticeably shied away.

"They should expect death for crossing you, sir," the general spoke up.

"Death would only be a blessing, they deserve so much more and you know how I love my entertainment," Yussuf hinted in as he sneered. "I really hope my Dani has eyes only for this Captain Dylan Hunt, he would certainly fit the bill nicely."

"As Telemachus Rhade was the man behind taking her from you, I would have thought he would have fitted the bill better," the general remarked, glancing at the crew files.

"He is one of us, maybe a little misdirected, working with the enemy, but he is still of Nietzschean blood, good blood," Yussuf explained with care. "Dylan Hunt would make a far more interesting prospect, and a perfect specimen for Dani to have fun with."

"Dani's tastes and methods have never been predictable, she is always full of surprises in getting the job done," the general spoke with care. "I wouldn't put it past her to go for this supposed kludge genius they have on board, the engineer, and he'd know a lot about the ship, about how it works."

"Dani, my Dani with a worthless kludge?" Yussuf spat with sudden anger. "I should strike you down where you stand, general!"

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," the general backed away.

"If I ever caught my Dani with such lowlifes as Earth reared scum," Yussuf took a calming breath, feeling his emotions running away with his thoughts. "Dani has more class than to even look at this mess of a being," Yussuf gestured to the screen that now showed Seamus Harper's file. "I just hope he hasn't contaminated her with vile abuse, mistaking her for her cover, and harming her with his wretched speech," Yussuf declared with anger. "I am just very sorry that due to the unforeseen action of Dani being taken by this Rhade and Valentine, that she may have been exposed to such a vile creature, I hope they keep him well hidden away," Yussuf sighed with obvious distress.

"By all accounts they suggest that he is a part of the main crew," the general pointed out.

"All lies!" Yussuf stressed animatedly. "The commonwealth dress him up, probably only some diplomacy act, winning votes from all the lowlifes in this sorry universe, but underneath it all, this kludge is nothing but an eyesore, even his image makes me sick, and I will not believe he plays any part on a high guard warship," Yussuf declared and deleted the file they had on him and silence followed, the discussion was over, as Yussuf walked away, needing to lie down.

TBC


	18. Part 18

Part 18

Dylan Hunt checked his console on the Command Deck, before looking over to Beka, who in turn was plotting a course for their next destination.

"Beka, do we have an estimated time of arrival?" Dylan casually asked. "The ambassador of Ipcres is trying to organise us a fast pass into their space port, he wants to ensure we reach the conference on time," he said with amusement.

"Neat," Beka smiled. "I'd say about eighteen hours, give or take a slip stream or two," she stated.

Dylan busied himself relaying the information before he turned to Beka again. "Beka, I don't suppose that your mission is in any way close to being tied up and resolved in the next few hours?" he asked lightly, already knowing the answer.

"Far from it," Beka said with resignation. "But we're making progress, nothing however that can't wait until after the conference now."

"Understood, hopefully I'll be able to offer more assistance once this conference is over," Dylan idly spoke up, and his tone gave away how much he wasn't looking forward to the event, he then glanced at Beka again. "Have you seen Harper at all today?"

"Yeah, I spoke to him earlier this morning on med deck," Beka spoke up.

"I assume he's recovering well, I haven't had an update from Trance lately," Dylan spoke with a casual air.

"He seems to be doing ok, as always getting him to rest is proving the sticking point," Beka answered. "I understand he spoke to you about Dani."

Dylan now partly smiled. "His new love?" he lightly teased.

"I can't believe that just a couple of days ago I was warning Rhade and you about not even hinting at something like that, and now," Beka said with disbelief as she moved closer to Dylan's console.

"He seems pretty much taken by her," Dylan remarked. "In fact, I never thought it was possible for Harper to become that serious about someone, or serious enough to be that troubled by it."

"You think it's serious?" Beka now asked with interest.

"As serious as Harper's world allows," Dylan offered, and Beka relaxed slightly.

"He says he's encouraging it for the mission, but I don't know, seeing them together," Beka sighed not wanting to say anymore in that area. "I don't like it, I know that much, and Yussuf is not a man to get involved with, certainly not via this approach."

"Dani wants her freedom," Dylan reminded Beka. "Maybe all she wants is our help, and she's obviously connected to Harper."

Beka was already shaking her head. "She's smart, I'll give her that," Beka conceded. "When I spoke to her earlier she seemed to say all the things I wanted to hear, even in relation to Harper, she went as far as to suggest that she didn't think it would work because Harper has issues with her."

"He does," Dylan pointed out.

"The slave thing, yeah, well, but we both know Harper and generally he doesn't care so long as she's a she, he'll will chase, why is the fact that she's a slave suddenly going to make him turn away?" Beka asked with confusion.

"Maybe you should ask him, because the impression I got from Harper is that it's a very big deal, and the main reason he hasn't gone full speed ahead into a relationship with Dani," Dylan stated as fact.

Beka just looked at Dylan with surprise, knowing that it was very rare; in fact it had never happened before where Dylan had seemingly known something about Harper that she didn't know. "He told you that?" Beka asked. "That her being a slave was a big deal for him?"

"I thought you understood," Dylan offered.

"I know he doesn't like slaves," Beka returned. "But I never thought to the degree that he had issues with it, I mean he has Dani offering herself practically on a plate and he's questioning her because of her supposed slave status?"

Dylan's attention was now caught. "Is she a slave or not?" Dylan had to ask, after Harper had hinted a similar thing about Dani.

"It'll be in my report," Beka dismissed. "The fact is, it shouldn't be an issue, if Dani has actually chosen freedom then that makes her a slave no more, and it's not as if it was a life choice to begin with, and it wasn't as if she was a real slave."

"Beka, seriously, you're talking to the wrong man," Dylan helpfully pointed out. "And if that report could find its way to my desk soon, I'd love to find out what Dani actually is, because I seem to be the last to know around here," he added with a frown. "Besides, maybe it's a good thing he's keeping his wits about him on this occasion, rather than just falling for her."

Beka stopped and considered what Dylan was saying. "The fact Harper is being intelligent enough to question her, that a good thing, agreed," she decided finally. "I just never thought Harper would have reason like that to turn down someone, regardless of how I feel about Dani, it's just wrong, and Harper is better than that," she offered showing her confusion, before returning to her console.

* * *

Harper observed Dani now, as he idly lay on his bunk, and she was sat on the floor of his quarters messing about with various unfinished junk that he had lying around. For the past couple of hours she had kept herself amused, as he lightly slept and then they had exchanged small talk, mostly with Dani asking what something was that she was holding, or what it was going to be once he finished it. It was nice, Harper conceded, and all thoughts of ulterior motives on Dani's part were furthest from his mind now, as she appeared genuinely content to just be in his company, and nothing more.

Harper was surprised by what he was feeling towards her, as he realised he was missing her more direct route of interacting with him, and it was starting to play on his mind that she was not close to him, that he was able to see her, but unable to smell her, touch her, even just hold her hand.

He couldn't do it, and Harper now knew that he had only told Beka he was playing Dani along because it was what Beka had wanted to hear, and he felt bad, his gut churned knowing that he had lied to his friend. Harper's mind tried to run through some explanations or excuses that he could use, but the truth was that he simply could not turn away, and he wanted to know Dani, not push her away.

Once again the little voice in his head reminded him, and it wouldn't back off or let him forget that Dani was a slave, an uber puppet. Harper took a deep breath, rolling onto his back again, tearing his gaze away from Dani to stare at the overhead fittings above him some more.

Dani moved to sit against the furthest wall from Harper's bunk, and it didn't go unnoticed by the engineer, as he glanced over and simply smiled with amusement.

"What?" Dani asked, still partly preoccupied by a number of half finished gadgets that Harper had lying around his quarters, until she noticed his expression.

"Just, if you feel you need to be further away from me, then the docking bay is the furthest point on this ship from my quarters, or maybe Sinti would be better?" he mocked.

"I thought you didn't want me close too soon, me being the mission, and all this talk of taking things slowly?" Dani returned with a teasing smile, but still distracted by the gadgets.

"How am I supposed to get to know you better if I have to yell across the room at you?" Harper countered with a smile.

Dani conceded defeat and moved the short distance to the long side edge of the bunk, remaining seated on the floor but at least a little closer. With her back resting against the bunk, Dani was now facing away from Harper, and he moved onto his side, and shuffled up closer to the edge of his bunk.

Harper paused for a moment to look at Dani, he gazed at her shoulders, her neck and the back of her head, and on seeing the side of Dani's face, Harper began to believe that deep down, he was falling for her whether he liked it or not.

"Quit staring at me," Dani remarked, seemingly engrossed in some more junk.

"How can you tell?" Harper asked, knowing that he was behind her lying on the bunk, as she rested her back against the frame.

"Are you denying it?" Dani asked, without looking up.

"No," Harper admitted.

"Good," Dani grinned now, and finally glanced around to look at him. Convinced now that Harper was looking for her attention, she put the junk down, and then turned around on her knees, and she rested her elbows on the bunk, as she looked at Harper closely. "How are you feeling?"

"Rested," Harper simply said.

"Good, job done," Dani declared with a smile. "So, what now?"

Harper considered their options. "The stores could do with a tidy," Harper remembered his talk with Trance earlier, and his hand lightly brushed Dani's arm.

"Seriously?" Dani checked with less enthusiasm.

"You saw the state they were in," Harper stated, and then grinned.

Dani hesitated. "Well yeah, but it was a good thing they were a mess, or we may have never met," she lightly argued.

Harper just grinned, and rolled onto his front, as he considered some more options, resting his head on his hand. "I could give you the tour of the Maru," he shrugged, knowing that the options they had were very thin.

"What do you usually do for fun around here?" Dani asked.

"Work?" Harper offered weakly.

Dani's hand moved to Harper's back as she gently began to stroke in circular movements. "For such a big place, it doesn't offer much for fun," she sighed.

"Hang on," Harper offered and sat up, and Dani moved aside as he swung his legs around. "Harper two four three nine," Harper spoke up. "Remove privacy, Rommie?" he spoke up quickly. "Are we scheduled to do any stops anytime soon, babe?"

Andromeda's hologram appeared before them, and she glanced at Dani before looking at Harper. "Our next scheduled stop is in the Ipcres System for the Commonwealth Conference."

"Ipcres System?" Dani questioned.

"You know it?" Harper asked. "Does it have a good night life?" he added, knowing very little about the system.

"I don't know," Dani noticeably hesitated. "I've heard of it though, so maybe," she quickly spoke.

"Excellent, when are we due to arrive?" Harper enthused.

"In roughly fourteen hours, Dylan has requested that you make yourself available for a couple of the seminars, Harper, possibly as a keynote speaker so be prepared, but the rest of the time will be all yours," Rommie informed him. "However, I should warn you that tight security measures will be in place, due to the nature of the conference, so do not plan anything too wild," she looked at Dani, before blinking out of sight.

"Least we'll have something to do soon then, away from here, take in a few bars, some nightlight," Harper beamed, and he reactivated the privacy mode before Harper then noticed how distant Dani now looked. "Hey, what's up?"

"The Commonwealth conference, this ship is going to that?" Dani asked in almost a whisper, and avoiding Harper's stare.

"Of course, did you fail to notice during the tour that this is the flagship of the Commonwealth, of course we'll be there," Harper stated softly. "Dylan Hunt is the guest of honour, seems even I will have some credentials at this thing too, so we have to be there."

Dani took a deep breath. "Of course," she simply said.

"Dani, speak to me," Harper now asked, and he moved down to the floor to sit besides her, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know why I thought otherwise," Dani now partially laughed. "Why would your plans change, and why would the flagship miss the party?" Dani asked with mocking tones aimed at her, as she now rubbed her head.

Harper watched as Dani seemingly began to lose her composure before his eyes, she then looked at him and seemed ready to lose control of her emotions. "Dani, what's going on? What do you know about this conference? Is it something to do with Yussuf?" he asked with concern.

"Maybe I thought Dylan Hunt would go alone, that he wouldn't bring the entire ship, and its crew," Dani continued, making no sense to Harper and he reached out for her face with one hand, to get her attention.

"Tell me what you know, Dani, you have to tell me," Harper now insisted, fearing what he was seeing in Dani's expression now.

Dani composed herself slightly, then with some fear she looked at Harper. "My original mission, before I was taken, it involved me going to the Ipcres System," she stated, and Harper's attention was caught completely. "All I was told was to attend some conference on Ipcres as some kind of worker, serving drinks, whatever," Dani shrugged. "And my objective was to infiltrate the main members of the flagship crew that would be in attendance, at the conference."

Harper took in the information, and then looked at Dani. "As far as I know, Ipcres is not renowned for holding conferences, it's too far out of the way, and the main reason the Commonwealth chose it as a location," he confirmed. "It has to be the same conference," Harper spoke, as the pieces began to fall into place.

"I was going to be delivered to a man called Kharaz, and I assume he had sorted out the rest of the details, that would get me into the conference and give me access to my targets," Dani stated with a hesitant tone.

"Targets?" Harper questioned, not liking the choice of wording Dani had used.

Dani sighed, closing her eyes momentarily. "I retrieve information," Dani simply said. "It's amazing what you can learn in just one night," she then offered suggestively.

"Your orders were to infiltrate the crew of the flagship, so that would be us?" Harper confirmed and Dani nodded her head. "Is that why you knew so much about us already?"

"It must be," Dani agreed, and sighed heavily.

Harper considered the information. "So a one night stand with, say Dylan, Rhade or," Harper looked away. "Or me," he frowned, and he then looked at Dani again as another realisation hit him. "Then by the morning, under normal circumstances with your brain injury, you'd be totally clueless as to who you were with, or what you had been told, and so no suspicion."

"I'd come across as nothing more than dumb bit of fun in the morning, they assumed I'd had too much to drink, explaining my poor memory, but then a few days later," Dani prompted.

"Bingo, all you learn comes flooding back, by which time no doubt you'd be back with Yussuf," Harper realised, and began shaking his head slowly. "That's some scam Yussuf had set up," he credited, trying to take it all in.

"But don't you see?" Dani now panicked, as she paced Harper's quarters. "Unknowingly I have already done what Yussuf has asked of me," Dani feared as she moved away from Harper getting to her feet. "How do I know that all this, my feelings for you, and what I've done here has been my own actions, I might just be subconsciously following Yussuf's will, he could still control me!" she yelled with panic, becoming distressed now.

"Dani," Harper moved quickly to his feet, and recovered the distance between them. "You are not controlled by that man, listen to me," Harper insisted getting her to focus on him, as he put a comforting hand on her arm. "I trust you Dani, do you hear me?" Harper asked as if their lives depended on it. "You have my trust, ok?" Harper said without losing eye contact with her. "And I believe you have acted upon your own instincts this whole time, not some stupid uber, and it's just coincidence, that's all it is, you weren't to know what your orders meant."

"You trust me?" Dani said with an air of disbelief. "The kludge trusts the slave?"

Harper moved away with anger, having to put distance between him and Dani to stop his more natural reactions. "Damn it, Dani!" he snapped. "I'm trying to help here, don't throw it back in my face!" he added strongly, and then saw Dani look away, and in that moment she looked so lost.

Taking a few more calming breaths, Harper moved back to Dani's side but said nothing, as he reached out to embrace her. She returned his actions and together they simply held each other for a few moments, before Harper spoke again.

"We can get through this," Harper said quietly. "I'll stay by your side, I promise," he added, wanting Dani to believe him, to trust him.

"Yussuf, his men, everyone allied to him will be in Ipcres," Dani stressed.

Harper couldn't deny her fears. "We need to speak to Dylan, and we have to warn the Commonwealth."

"I never thought it would be so easy to betray Yussuf," Dani now spoke with some fear, as her head rested on Harper's shoulder.

"Listen to me," Harper moved back slightly, and looked into Dani's eyes, as she lifted her head. "You've betrayed no one," he insisted, his face almost touching hers now, as he continued to look deeply in her eyes.

"Telling you my orders, it goes against everything, Shay, everything," Dani said, her face beginning to crease, as emotions threatened. "What have you done to me?" she then asked and her tone sounded like that of defeat, as the first sign of tears appeared.

Harper couldn't respond with words, and his joy was apparent as he used his hand to wipe away her tears as they began to fall. Finally Harper felt that the last of his fears were being banished before his eyes, and he couldn't be happier at the sight. In just a few words Dani had revealed all that he needed to hear, that he was in full control of the situation and that she had fallen for him, had chosen him before Yussuf. Harper then brought his lips to hers, and after a few gentle touches, they confirmed what they were both now realising, finally giving into what they both wanted, as they kissed for what seemed the first time.

TBC


	19. Part 19

PART 19

"Rommie, where's Harper?" Dylan casually spoke up from his post on command, glancing over to the android avatar.

"He is resting, following Trance's orders for once," Rommie confirmed, without looking up.

"In what way resting, is he awake?" Dylan asked.

Rommie lifted her head, and appeared to be scanning. Her eyebrows slightly raised but she quickly recovered before it was noticed. "Yes, No," she answered quickly, and inwardly cursed her programming for her error.

"Yes, no?" Dylan checked, a little amused by his avatars confusion, it wasn't often Rommie sounded flustered. "Is he awake or not?"

"He is sleeping," Rommie answered, with an awkward air.

"Ok," Dylan decided to accept her explanation. "As soon as he wakes, I want to speak to him about this conference, I've decided to make him a keynote speaker for one of the talks, so prepare him for that news," he grinned.

Beka had observed the exchange, and once Dylan was distracted, she walked to stand beside Rommie and quietly observed the android, and she still seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Beka," Rommie finally acknowledged the first officer, her eyes stayed on the console in front of her.

"Tell me Dani's location," Beka simply said in a hushed voice.

Rommie looked directly at Beka, "That is confidential information," Rommie stated.

"We're allowing guest's to have privacy mode now? Guests, should I remind you, that we are currently investigating?" Beka questioned.

"Dani is still a guest," Rommie returned. "And she is not currently in guest quarters," she added.

"Rommie, as first officer don't make me pull rank," Beka simply said.

Hesitating for a moment, Rommie looked ahead, before following the unspoken order. "Dani is currently located in Harper's quarters."

Beka's anger flashed across her face, and immediately she moved to the command exit.

"Beka, wait," Rommie spoke, as she went after the retreating figure.

"Problem?" Dylan inquired now, directing the question to Rommie, having seen Beka leave Command without word.

Rommie stopped her pursuit and with effort she appeared calm, and she simply smiled towards the captain. "No problem," Rommie said, adding a convincing smile, and slowly she returned to her post.

"Good, because with this conference just ten hours away, we do not need problems," Dylan stated, leaving Rommie to glance at the exit and contemplate whether to excuse herself or not and go after Beka.

* * *

The loud bang at the door made Harper wake with a start, taking a sharp intake of breath, before he mentally composed himself, and got his bearings. He sat up with urgency, and quickly tried to compose his breathing, as he looked now at Dani lying beside him, in a state of undress, and he then looked at himself in a similar condition.

"Crap, crap, crap," Harper began to murmur with panic.

Another loud knock at the door, this time followed by Beka's voice demanding his attention, caused a fresh wave of panic, and this time the noise had been enough to stir Dani too.

"Get dressed," was all Harper could say as he leapt from the bed, and he frantically found his pants and then a shirt.

Consciousness seemed to grip Dani, as she understood the urgency and quickly retrieved her clothes.

"Harper, open this door, now!" Beka demanded. "Dani, I know you're in there, open this door!"

Dani glanced at Harper, partly still in shock at the surprise wake up call and the manner in which they had woken, as pieces of their memory returned. "Maybe I should just knock you out now?" Dani offered.

"What do you mean?" Harper asked hurriedly, not catching her drift.

"That's why she's here, she thinks I've killed you," Dani stated, finding her shoes now.

"No, she thinks I'm making a big mistake," Harper stated. "She's here to kill me," he stressed.

"Either way, you're dead then," Dani attempted humour, but Harper was too panicked to appreciate her words.

"I'm so dead," Harper finally agreed with fear.

Dani took a moment to watch as Harper frantically paced the room. "Do you regret what we did?" she then asked. "I swear to wherever my parents might be now, that I never planned it," Dani offered. "I'll take the blame though, if any blame is being dished out."

Harper stopped and took a moment to compose his thoughts, as he glanced at the door. "I'll be out in a minute," Harper yelled for Beka's benefit, Beka mumbled something in return but he missed it as he approached Dani. "Our timing sucks," he smirked, finding a smile. "But I don't regret it, I'm just a little surprised, you know?"

"We should have really prioritised, we let ourselves get a little distracted," Dani agreed, but couldn't help the smile that followed.

"We need to speak to Dylan now," Harper stated firmly taking control, but still nodding his head, a little embarrassed.

"What about hot head out there?" Dani gestured to the still closed doors.

Harper frowned as he glanced back, as if checking they were still closed and they were still safe for the moment. "You go and find Trance, tell her we need to talk to Dylan, and I'll deal with Beka, and then meet up with you to speak to Dylan, ok?" Harper stated, and saw Dani was about to protest. "No, Beka needs to know, and I should be the one to tell her."

"Know what? About Yussuf?" Dani asked unsure.

"In good time, yeah, but right now she needs to know that, well," Harper now smiled shyly. "She needs to know that you and me," Harper paused. "She needs to know about us," he finally said.

Dani simply grinned, before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "Good luck with that," she lightly teased. "Would you mind going first?" Dani then asked with an amused smile she gestured towards the doors.

"Wimp," Harper grinned, as he took the first steps to the door and then with a worried frown he activated the door controls, coming face to face with Beka on the other side. "Dani, you best get going," Harper instructed on seeing the look Beka was giving him, and Dani wasted no time in leaving and disappearing.

Beka pushed Harper back into his quarters. "What the hell is going on?"

"I was about to ask the same," Harper returned, a little less ferociously.

Beka looked around at the mess of Harper's quarters. "So this is how you back off, Harper? This is how you keep out of her way, after she's revealed all she needs to say to me?" Beka demanded. "You were supposed to keep out of her way, you were not supposed to see her, and you were certainly not suppose to shack up with her in some little love nest!" she fumed.

Harper couldn't hide how stunned he felt by her words, and it took a moment before he found the words to speak. "You don't own me, Valentine, don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do!"

"I am not going to sit back and watch you screw up your life by getting involved with this tramp!" Beka returned with obvious anger.

Fury blinded Harper for a moment as he stared back at Beka. "You take that back!" Harper yelled. "Dani is not a tramp, Dani is," Harper continued but he stopped suddenly, as his emotions threatened to control him, with a more composed air he looked calmly at Beka, his voice suddenly even as he continued. "Dani is the woman that I am falling in love with, so don't you dare call her that."

Something in Harper's manner caused Beka to take urgent stock of the situation, and she backed away slightly. "Love?" Beka almost spat out the word. "You've known her a little over a day and you think that you love her now?"

"Don't ask me to explain," Harper began, but Beka soon cut in.

"Have you lost your mind, Harper?" Beka asked with concern. "You get in any way involved with this girl and you're dead, do you hear me?" Beka then looked around the room taking in more detail, the unmade bed, and remembering how long it had taken Harper to respond to her knocking at the door. "Oh no, Harper, please, tell me you didn't do," Beka hinted but stopped, as she stepped closer, but Harper stepped further away from her.

"Get out," Harper simply said, his tone even and without emotion now.

"I'm not leaving," Beka returned. "Not until you tell me exactly what is going on inside that head of yours."

"I love her!" Harper now snapped, turning to face Beka, and he moved closer to her. "I love Dani, I want to be with Dani, I love her, Beka, and you can't do a damn thing about it, you're too late!" he stressed loudly and with conviction, now staring directly at his friend.

"Don't say that, Harper," Beka now shook her head, her face showing nothing but concern and fear.

"Say what? That I love her?" Harper now questioned arrogantly, ignoring his friend's distress.

"Don't say that I'm too late, Harper, not like that," Beka backed away now, still shaking her head and visibly looking upset. "Because I swear when the day comes that she turns on you, or when Yussuf finds out, because he will Harper, I have no doubt about that, I do not want my mind to keep reminding me of you saying that to me," Beka struggled now to contain her fears.

Harper took a deep breath, he hadn't seen Beka lose herself like this since Bobby left and it felt like a kick in the gut that he had been the cause, but he couldn't help his own reaction to her words.

"Beka," he said with more care. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, but please don't do this," he offered, and moved closer to her. "I don't blame you for anything, I'm just really happy right now, so it's tough to see my best friend so opposed to me being happy," Harper admitted with a shrug. "And Beka, whatever happens, good or bad, you're not responsible for me."

"I feel responsible sometimes, Seamus," Beka offered, and she tried now to quickly compose herself and dry her eyes that were threatening to cry.

"Well stop," Harper lightly ordered. "I do know what I'm doing, and all I want Beka is for you to accept that this is happening, and trust me."

"Do I still accept what happens when Yussuf catches up with you?" Beka asked pointedly, desperately trying to get through to her friend. "Seamus, I don't even feel like I know who you are right now, how you can be so blind to the facts, she's a trained spy, has openly admitted this fact to me, and she works for Yussuf," Beka said with care and concern. "Open you're eyes, Harper, please, for me, just open your eyes," Beka pleaded now. "She works for an uber, Harper, as a slave dressed up as a spy, and you know that, so why are we even having this conversation?" Beka asked.

Harper took a deep breath, and with a frown he could only shrug, as he considered what Beka was saying. "I think we're having this conversation because at some point, and I don't know when or why, but it happened that you decided to give me a chance and you promised to look out for me in this stupid hell forsaken universe," Harper finally said, avoiding eye contact with his friend.

"And I always keep my promises," Beka moved closer now to Harper.

"You've also threatened to throw me out of airlocks," Harper pointed out.

"Don't tempt me, the mood I'm in with you at the moment," Beka partly smiled, and then she reached forward, taking Harper in her arms. "I can't help but be concerned about all this, and for you."

"I get that, boy do I get that," Harper spoke, as he wrapped his arms around his friend tightly. "And I have concerns to, and yes, Yussuf shaped concerns, but Beka, I'm not lying, I think this time that I'm falling in love for real."

"Does she feel the same about you?" Beka asked, as she stepped back and forced Harper to look her in the eye, placing a hand under his chin.

"I don't know, I think so," Harper returned but saw the doubt in Beka's expression. "Look, she hasn't said but there's something there."

"There usually is with a will," Beka remarked, and saw the anger flash across Harper's face. "Harper, look I understand that I do not see Dani is the same light that you do."

"Which is a very good thing," Harper quickly responded. "Although if you did," he began.

"Harper," Beka stopped his train of thought before he could speak it. "OK, for the minute, whilst you're on board and relatively safe, I guess I can deal with this but it won't stop me being concerned," Beka explained. "Yussuf has already attacked this ship, and he has Rhade and my identities connected to Dani, he will not just disappear, Seamus."

"I know that, hell do I know that," Harper sighed. "But you can't stop me seeing her, I'm not just saying it, Beka, I love her, right now she's all I'm really thinking about," he admitted with desperation in his tone.

"You hardly know her," Beka returned with a heavy sigh.

Andromeda's hologram materialised before the two of them. "Dylan is requesting your attendance for an urgent meeting."

"Meeting, since when?" Beka questioned.

"You're about to find out some more details about Dani," Harper simply said and began to move away, until Beka reached out and pulled his arm back.

"What exactly?" Beka asked.

"Her true mission, the one she was supposed to do before you took her, and brought her here," Harper revealed.

"And you already know this information?" Beka asked, and saw Harper noticeably flinch, but she continued. "I caught you, I'm guessing in some form of shall we say sleep, and you didn't think that maybe we, the crew," Beka brightly pointed out. "Needed to know what you had learned from Dani?" Beka questioned accusingly. "Let me guess, you were too preoccupied with other business, was she too much of a distraction for you to remember the mission, Harper?"

Harper looked caught out for a moment. "We were going to tell Dylan, we were, and then, but," Harper paused, losing the ability to speak for the moment.

Harper took some calming breaths, wanting to try and explain further but he felt the conflict rapidly returning between the two of them, as he looked at Beka to be met with an aggressive stance from his friend. "Look, Dani has gone now to tell him, hence the freaking meeting," Harper suddenly snapped. "Just get off my case, Beka." Harper finished and moved towards the bathroom.

"Harper, we have to go to the meeting," Beka pointed out arrogantly.

"Then go," Harper stressed, walking into the bathroom.

"You need to go too, Harper," Beka reminded him.

"I'm busy and too much of a freaking liability, obviously, so you're best without me," He yelled from the bathroom.

Beka looked upwards, not sure if she wanted to face the questions she would obviously receive by Harper's absence. "Harper, just get out here and let's go," but she was met with only the sound of the shower water starting up, and silence from Harper. "Fine, but I'm not going to make excuses for you," Beka dismissed and she left him to it, to attend the meeting.

Inside the shower now Harper let his head fall back against the wall, as the water engulfed him, and it felt good to feel something other than the feelings he'd been having for Dani so he continued to bring his head back hard against the wall, to feel the pain for a few minutes.

His thoughts clashed once again, hearing both Beka and Dani in his head, not knowing what he could do to resolve the issues with Beka, or how he was going to adjust things to accommodate Dani. What had been so wonderful had been reduced to fury thanks to Beka, Harper had never known true love before but now he felt he understood it a lot better, so why did he now feel like crap, like he was losing everything for the sake of some happiness?

Feeling tinges of a light headed nature, he finally stopped banging his head back against the wall, with it having become almost a physical and painful mantra. Harper quickly cleaned himself up, whilst ignoring the slight headache he now had, as he left the shower. Getting dried and dressed quickly, he tried to focus but felt all over the place, tormented by his clash with Beka. There was anger inside him, but he couldn't determine if it was aimed at someone, or just to himself, was this his past rearing its ugly head again, he considered with confusion and annoyance.

Andromeda's hologram then materialised before him. "Harper, Dylan is urgently requesting your attendance to the meeting, failure to show will result in disciplinary action being taken."

Harper didn't respond, as he instead busied himself by making his bed, then he quickly lay on top of the covers. "I'm tired, I was ordered to rest," he argued.

"Harper, I know you and Beka had words earlier, but you really should be at this meeting," Andromeda revealed, a little softer now.

"Why?" Harper now demanded, some of his earlier anger towards Beka resurfacing. "So, I can be told I'm a freaking idiot, that I'm jeopardising this crew, and my own life, I don't need to be told that, Rommie, I already freaking know it, so just leave me alone," he stressed, burying his head in the pillow. "In case you've forgotten star ship dearest, I'm supposed to be freaking off duty," he stated with anger.

"Harper you are not the subject of the meeting, and you are fit enough to attend a meeting," Rommie pointed out.

"If I'm not fit enough to work, I'm not fit enough to do some stupid meeting," Harper argued. "And I know what it's all about, I know the meeting is all about Dani," Harper stated with conflict. "So why don't you guys just lock me up as a traitor, and be done with it, until the danger that is Dani passes?" Harper demanded. "Because that's the only way anyone will stop me seeing her, and I mean that," he said with conviction, getting to his feet and moving with anger across the room.

"Are you going to the meeting?" Rommie asked.

Harper was trying really hard to control his actions, but was beginning to fail, he was tired of keeping control, and trying to understand what was right, and what was wrong about his life at that moment. The moment had come when he didn't want to try and understand, and he'd had enough of the talks, the concern, and the supposed care that surrounded him. Harper felt like his mind was no longer his own, and what he thought no longer applied, no one was listening to him anymore.

"Harper?" Rommie prompted when the engineered failed to answer.

"No," Harper simply replied, this time they would listen to him and take notice of his actions, and understand that he was able to do his own thing.

"I will let Dylan know," Rommie simply said, and blinked out of sight.

Harper grabbed the nearest piece of junk he could find and he hurled it towards the wall with frustration, and he watched as it crashed against the surface, breaking into more pieces of junk. Feeling motivated he found another piece of junk and repeated the process, and again, non-stop until he was breathing heavily and started to feel his lungs hurt again, as he tried to recover his breath. But the pain felt good, he realised, and Harper started to push himself further through the pain he was feeling now, grabbing a long piece of metal that had broken off some junk, Harper proceeded to attack the stationary objects in his quarters, ignoring the flying pieces of junk that either missed or hit him, as he continued his single handed attack on his quarters.

TBC


	20. Part 20

PART 20

"Dani, Dani," Dylan repeated, seeing their guest distracted by the doors that had remained closed since the meeting had started. "Dani," Dylan said one final time, and she turned to look at him.

"Sorry," Dani offered, sat at the desk surrounded by the command crew, minus one.

"Andromeda, have you spoken to Harper?" Dylan requested, knowing that his attendance would be helpful, as Dani remained distracted.

"I'm sorry Dylan, Harper has no plans to join us," Rommie revealed, seated next to Trance.

"I'll go get him," Beka offered but Dylan stopped her before she could get to her feet.

"Leave him, we have more urgent matters," Dylan confirmed. "Dani has informed me of her original orders, and with Harper, she has determined what they mean," he continued, and noticed Beka's glare at Dani at the mention of Harper's name. "Beka, is there a problem?" Dylan asked with a touch of annoyance, he didn't know why Harper was refusing to join them but he was making an educated guess based on what he was seeing from Beka.

"Other than Dani?" Beka questioned innocently.

"Me?" Dani returned. "I thought I was helping."

"Is Harper here?" Beka gestured.

"He was fine when I left him," Dani reasoned. "What happened after that, I have no idea, seeing as I was speaking with your captain about the mission," she stated clearly.

"Beka," Dylan stopped her before she continued the debate with their guest. "Are you suggesting that Harper's absence is in some way connected to Dani?"

Beka took a deep breath, glancing around the table at Trance, Rommie and Rhade before continuing. "They both knew about her original orders, and decided not to tell us immediately," Beka revealed, knowing she was landing Harper in it, but her attempts to make him think clearly had failed, she had no other option. "They decided, I guess, that they had more important things to do than tell us immediately, maybe we should be questioning exactly what," Beka looked at Dani with an accusing stare.

Dani immediately sat back, and stared at her hands, as they nervously fidgeted on the table top. Dylan could sense the conflict from Beka, and after his chat with Harper, and subsequent chat with Beka he didn't have to be a genius to figure out that there had been developments since then.

"Dani?" Dylan prompted with a tired frown. "Am I to assume that you and Harper are more involved now?" he tried to be as diplomatic as possible.

"Yeah, and it's true," Dani revealed with a frown. "We got distracted, I'm sorry, but don't just blame Seamus for this, I don't know, we just," she offered quietly but could find no excuse, as she intensely focused on her hands now, and avoided all stares. "What can I say? I'm here now telling you what I know, what more can I do?" she asked with a shrug. "What's done is done," she added, glancing at Beka.

"I understand that you and Harper are becoming close, good friends," Dylan attempted to sound casual about his choice of words.

"It's more than that," Dani looked up with sincerity towards Dylan.

"Give me a break, now she's sounding like him," Beka crossed her arms with disinterest.

Dani looked away again. "We have strong feelings for each other, and I can't explain why or how this has happened, but it has," she stressed.

"So no doubt you can now double cross him, and use him further down the line, he's on side now and exactly where you want him, you're not the first you know," Beka spoke up harshly. "We've seen your type before, why can't you people just give Harper a break? Why is it whenever we come across your type that you don't go for the ones who can take it, like Rhade or Dylan?" she demanded.

"Beka, you are doing Harper a huge injustice, Dani is here now freely telling us what she knows, she is helping us," Trance spoke up in Harper's defence.

"Give me that lecture when you can be sure she has no ulterior motives, and I might listen," Beka stressed, clearly still worked up after her exchange with Harper.

"Beka, enough," Dylan stated firmly seeing his first officer sounding off flippantly, and he saw that Dani was not enjoying what Beka was accusing her off, and their guest's reactions were telling him a lot more about the situation than any words, sensing a genuine air about Dani.

"No, she's right," Dani now stood up to Dylan's surprise, but her tone implied that she had had enough. "I'm going to get him killed, that's the big plan, I got myself kidnapped by you so I could kill him," she mocked towards Beka and Rhade. "So you should just get rid of me now, dump me some place, and never look back," she declared. "All I ask is you do it now, because whatever you do, do not take me to Ipcres, if you do then you might as well hand Shay over to Yussuf personally," Dani stated and noted the silence that followed. "Oh, I'm sorry did I just bring this meeting back to its point, that being the mission and not personal grudges against me?"

Beka just glared at Dani before looking away and crossing her arms, concentrating her efforts on calming her mood rather than challenge Dani further, but Dani hadn't finished yet.

"Tell me Beka," Dani moved closer, pacing the room. "Say you are right, say my plan all along was to just kill Seamus, or to get him onside, tell me what exactly I have gained by doing that, and by at the same time, telling you everything?"

Beka couldn't remain calm for long. "Well let's see, how about a good look around a high guard flag ship of the Commonwealth?" Beka questioned. "I'm sure Yussuf will find that invaluable," Beka added. "I know Harper's tours are usually very precise in detailing weapon capacities, structures and defences," she continued. "You've had the opportunity to ask plenty of supposedly innocent questions," Beka raged.

"You really think Harper is that stupid, that gullible?" Dani questioned with disbelief.

"This isn't about Harper," Beka returned quickly.

"Isn't it?" Dani questioned. "Look, I'm not pretending, and I'm not playing games so I don't know where that leaves you," Dani simply responded to Beka, and then looked at Dylan. "And where it leaves me is that I should leave, I can't stay here if you are heading to Ipcres."

"You will be leaving Dani," Dylan confirmed after a moments thought. "You will leave with Beka, and Harper, on the Maru," he added.

"What?" Beka checked, with horror, as she sat forward.

"I don't want Dani or Harper anywhere near the Ipcres System whilst Yussuf is in town," Dylan confirmed calmly, with a tone to suggest the decision was not up for debate. "The one thing we do all agree on is that in Harper and Dani, we recognise a threat of some kind, to them or to this ship, and we have to protect that."

"But the seminars, Dylan, you have listed Harper for attendance and as speaker for the majority of them, the Commonwealth will expect his attendance," Rommie now spoke up.

"He'll have to miss them, and we'll have to make excuses," Dylan responded. "We need him in one piece for when this world ship arrives, and taking him to this conference on the evidence presented is an unnecessary risk that I'm not prepared to take."

"And what am I supposed to do with them? Other than keep them apart?" Beka asked. "Wouldn't it be better to have her go with someone else, far away in a slip fighter, and I'll look after Harper?"

"Beka, as it is I'm going to be missing two command crew officers, I can not afford to have any more absentees in front of the Commonwealth," Dylan stated. "If this is about splitting them up, then forget it, I want you all to stay together, safety in numbers," he ordered.

"I guess it doesn't bother me, seeing as there's nothing to split up, Dylan, it's all a fake," Beka lightly argued.

"I love him," Dani then declared in an outburst, but she didn't say anything more, as all eyes focused on her.

"Just keep them safe, find a drift, and take a few days to yourselves, relax," Dylan offered quietly, to the silent room.

Beka looked uneasily around the table, avoiding Dani but still hearing her declaration running around her mind. "Ok, I'll take them both and we'll find a drift, we'll try to stay out of trouble, but no promises," she simply said with distraction.

"What about Yussuf?" Dani asked now, with some fear.

"Yussuf will be making a huge mistake by trying to disrupt the Commonwealth Conference," Dylan said, and half smiled to show confidence to Dani that the problem would be dealt with.

Rommie suddenly sat up, getting everyone's attention as she appeared to be checking something unknown to them. "Harper needs assistance, I am detecting a disturbance in his quarters, and his health signs are not looking good."

"But Dani's here," Beka said without thinking.

"He's alone," Rommie responded. "Whatever is happening, he is conducting it himself."

Beka immediately got to her feet. "I'll go, keep her away," Beka ordered towards Dani, and Trance quickly moved to Dani side.

"It's best to follow Beka's orders when she says them like that," Trance advised warmly. "Come with me to Med Deck, I'm sure Harper will be ok."

Dani seemed concerned and confused as she allowed herself to be taken by Trance towards Med Deck.

Rhade, Rommie and Dylan remained seated, and for a moment they just stared between each other, before Rhade leaned forward.

"Do you think the little runt has found love with Dani?" Rhade asked.

"He's found something," Dylan offered. "I just don't know what."

* * *

Not noticing anything around him, especially not the destruction, time had simply passed without registering as Harper continued his attack blindly, until he felt a pair of hands physically pull him back, and he instantly relinquished the weapons he had somehow acquired from the mess in his room, and Harper now felt himself being embraced from behind and whispering in his ear. He painfully breathed in ragged breaths, trying to focus on the voice through the pain and exhaustion that he now felt.

"I'm so sorry, Seamus, so sorry," Beka's voice finally got through, and Harper collapsed back into her allowing his exhaustion to overcome him, feeling the full pain of breathing now, along with the helplessness, as he struggled for air. Vaguely, through tiredness, Harper heard Beka demand medical attention, before her focus returned to him. "Calm down, just breath, Harper, keep breathing, slow and easy," she encouraged, her voice full of concern as she continued to hold him tight.

"Beka," Harper managed between breaths.

"Shush," Beka dismissed his attempts to speak, or explain and Harper then felt breathing apparatus covering his face again, the perspiration drenching him now, as he relaxed into Beka's arms allowing whatever needed to be done to be completed, feeling himself being put onto a trolley, with Beka's hold never leaving him as she assisted with the transfer to med deck.

* * *

The transport came to a stop in the hanger bay, and a group of men stepped outside and one of the men immediately opened the main access doors. Yussuf in all his grandeur stepped out, and was immediately flanked by his many servants.

Yussuf looked around his ship and took a deep breath, showing some trepidation, it wasn't what he was used to. It was a run down, unmarked vessel, but he knew it served his purpose. This was not an official visit, and the destination meant that they were leaving his control, entering a system where he had limited power over the people living there, for now.

The Commonwealth Conference would provide him an excellent opportunity to show his true power, to call on more people, and claim more control, and on a smaller note, return to him his precious Dani.

"We are ready to depart, sir," a voice spoke up.

Yussuf simply nodded his head, gesturing for them to proceed and he walked briskly to the area that they had assigned for him to relax in. He sat down and briefly checked over the reports, safe in the knowledge that the Andromeda was being watched undetected, and his plans on Ipcres were already being put into practice.

* * *

Harper was silent as he lay on med deck now, finding himself surrounded by the very people he wasn't keen on seeing, he wanted to be alone in his pain and confusion. Now that he had calmed down enough to realise what he had done, and begin taking responsibility for his actions, Harper was feeling ashamed for losing his head, and he grimaced suddenly, as Trance tended to cuts he didn't remember getting on his hands.

A hand brushed his hair back, and Harper glanced at Beka who stood close to him by the cot, her expression of mix of warmth and concern. There was some pressure applied to his chest, and Harper could see that Trance was testing his lungs again. He just wanted this to end, and he wanted to leave and just hide away for a few days, and forget everything. Harper then checked his thoughts, and he knew that he didn't want to forget everything, and there was certainly one thing that he didn't want to forget.

"Harper, breath deeply into this," Trance instructed, and like before he breathed deeply into the equipment Trance offered to him. Again, like before he felt pain as he came to the end of his breath, only this time it was a sharper pain and he moved the device away, as the clutched his ribs to try and ease the discomfort he felt.

"It's ok," Beka soothed, her hand brushing his arm.

Trance continued to scan. "You have aggravated the respiratory distress to your lungs," she concluded. "You've basically made it worse by lack of rest and continued over exertion, so I'm going to have to confine you to med deck for a spell of intensive treatment."

"He'll be ok though, right?" Beka checked.

"So long as he rests and allows treatment, and then responds well to that treatment," Trance indicated, and then turned her attention to Harper. "The intensive part of the treatment is simply a course of regulated pure oxygen, combined with some liquid intake that I will monitor, you will naturally continue to feel tired, and I plan to also purposely sedate you in a bid to give your lungs a chance to recover and the treatment to work its magic," Trance informed Harper with care, and the engineer simply nodded his head to show he understood. "After that, you will simply need to take things easy, and take your meds, any questions?"

"Dani?" Harper simply said.

"I'm right here," Dani spoke up, coming into his field of vision.

Harper held a hand out to her and she took her, with a meek smile. "Just get better," she simply said. "You have to be fit for the little trip Dylan is sending us on."

Harper looked confused and looked to Beka for an explanation, she simply shrugged.

"We're missing the conference, Dylan deems it too dangerous for either you or Dani to attend, with Yussuf being in town, so we're all going to another system, and don't worry, I'll make sure it has a good beach and surf," Beka grinned.

Harper simply smiled, but he looked drawn and tired suddenly. Trance moved forward and gestured for space, and Dani squeezed Harper's hand before moving away.

"I will begin treatment now, it should last for a couple of hours and then we can transfer him to the Maru," Trance stated. "Wherever you end up, you have to promise me that you will make sure he rests, its vital for a speedy recovery," Trance moved with Beka away from the cot, lowering her voice so only Beka could hear. "If this goes untreated, his lungs could continue to remain swollen, possibly stiffen and then there is a possibility of failure, leading in some cases to death so it's vital that you take this very seriously," Trance warned quietly.

Beka simply nodded her head, taking in the seriousness of the problem, before she moved back to Harper's side, holding his arm. "Next time I tell you not to stay long on a deck lacking air, listen to me," she stated with a concerned expression towards Harper.

"Actually, the distress we are seeing to his lungs could have been from being crushed under all that junk the other day, and I guess add to that the asphyxiation he suffered, none of which has helped, damage to the lungs like this can go unnoticed for a while after the actual incident," Trance stated, before moving away.

"Just do what the doc says, Seamus, because I want to enjoy our little trip away, not play nurse maid, ok?" Beka warned with a teasing smile, and Harper simply nodded his head in returned, offering a brief smile before she left him.

"Don't fight the sleep," Trance offered, as she pressed an injector to his neck.

Beka and Trance watched as Harper drifted to sleep, and Beka then glanced up towards Dani. "Look at him now, and take this in," Beka stated. "I don't want to see him like this again for a very long time, understand?"

"I wish him no harm either, I'm not enjoying seeing him like this," Dani stressed. "I don't ever want to hurt him, why can't you get that?"

"You have to forgive us, Dani," Trance simply said. "We do not know you, just as much as you do not know us, but we know and care deeply for Seamus."

"I get that," Dani returned. "I really get that, loud and clear, ok?"

"Tell me," Beka now moved closer to Dani. "If your boss, the lovely Yussuf, were to discover this little thing you have going with Harper, what would he do?"

Dani hesitated under Beka's intense glare now. "He would," she looked uncomfortable. "I don't know but whatever he would do, it would be bad."

"And you wish Harper no harm?" Beka questioned accusingly. "Just by spending time with him, and sharing his bed," Beka stressed to make her point. "You are harming him, and his chances for a long and healthy life," she insisted loudly.

Dani couldn't respond to Beka's words, and she just stared intently at the ground as Beka continued to rant. "For the minute I'm going to believe that you are genuine, Dani, but just for a minute," Beka announced, and Dani looked at her with confusion before she continued.

"So I now ask you to take responsibility for who and what you are, Dani, it may all be nice and cosy to you to have his attentions, but I'm willing to bet that you, Dani, will come to no harm if Yussuf discovers this little fling you're having, he will not blame his adoring Dani, oh no," Beka stressed. "It'll be the poor schmuck you encouraged who will get it, and that Dani is your precious Seamus!" Beka insisted strongly. "So, tell me again how you wish him no harm and I'll show you exactly what I wish on you, Dani."

"Beka," Trance warned, putting a hand on Beka's arm to calm her down. "This is not helping."

Beka abruptly moved away and gathered her thoughts as she attempted to calm down. "Just stay out of my sight, and take a long hard thing about things, and meet me here in a couple of hours ready to depart on the Maru," Beka simply said and left med deck.

With despair Dani looked upwards, feeling very alone suddenly until Trance moved to her side. "I know you care about him, but so does Beka, and they go back a long way," Trance explained. "I would suggest that you simply just keep a low profile when you depart on the Maru."

"I'm not going with her on the Maru," Dani declared. "I can't run," she simply said, close to tears. "I have to face Yussuf, I need to return to him it's the only way I can ensure that no one else gets hurt," she said, looking at Harper. "He'll get over me, and it seems that he's used to this from what Beka said."

"Dani, we're not asking you to risk your life by returning to Yussuf, if it's not what you want to do," Trance stated. "You told us that Yussuf ordered you to infiltrate this crew, and if you return to him now with the things you know about this ship and its crew," Trance explained. "Then we have responsibilities to protect the interests of this ship, and the Commonwealth, and we can't take that risk, Dani, you will put us in a difficult position within the Commonwealth," she said with care.

"That is not my concern right now," Dani returned.

"Well it is mine, my loyalty to this ship and the Commonwealth determines that if you return to Yussuf, you will pose too much of a security risk to us, we have welcomed you on board as a guest, treated you as such," Trance explained. "I ask you simply to reconsider your decision and go with Beka and Harper to safety."

"It's not your decision to make," Dani simply said, and with a glance at the sleeping form of Harper, she also left med deck.

Trance had no choice, as she opened communications to Dylan, to inform him of Dani's plan.

TBC


	21. Part 21

Part 21

"Sir!"

Yussuf spun around from his makeshift desk and looked at the eager young man that had entered his office.

"Speak, boy," Yussuf gestured when the man stood before him expectedly.

"Our observations of the Andromeda Ascendant has revealed that a ship has just departed from a hanger bay, the Eureka Maru, registered to one Beka Valentine, but we are unable to determine how many life signs are aboard at this time," he stated assuredly. "But the Andromeda Ascendant is about to make the final slip to Ipcres, should we follow this other ship, and possibly Beka Valentine?" the boy asked.

"Follow it, I want a full report on who is on that vessel, and its purpose for leaving, my sources say all crew are expected at this conference," Yussuf decided with suspicion clear. "I trust that they have no suspicions of our surveillance?"

"None sir, our masking technology has worked perfectly," the boy returned.

Yussuf considered the new development with some thought, as the boy remained stood before him. "When the Andromeda arrives at Ipcres I want to know immediately who is present from the main crew, and I want a man specifically ordered to sight Dani, even if he has to fake going on board the shuttle ship from the Andromeda, I want a confirmed sighting," Yussuf declared. "We do nothing until that sighting has been made, whether it's on the Andromeda or this Eureka Maru, no action until this has been done, understood?" Yussuf ordered, ensuring his orders were clear.

"Understood, sir, I will relay your orders to the fleet and ensure men are assigned to that role," the boy confirmed, and promptly left the room.

Yussuf sat down again, whilst longing for the moment he could leave the hellish ship he found himself on, all for security and an attempt to remain undetected.

* * *

Dylan Hunt surveyed the area as he stepped off the shuttle, seeing a large Commonwealth High Guard presence around them and it felt good to set foot on Ipcres. It had been years since Dylan had seen anything on this scale, for the first time he truly felt as though the Commonwealth was back, but he knew it was only in response to his concerns about Yussuf gate crashing the party. The High Guard had drafted in hundreds of additional guards to safeguard the conference, this was not the normal presence.

Beside him, Trance Gemini and Rhade walked towards the awaiting transport, but Dylan was on full alert, scanning the area for anything unusual. With all the personnel running about the port it was nearly impossible to determine if there were any unauthorised people in the area, so he kept one hand close to his force lance.

The shuttle powered up behind him, ready to return to the Andromeda to pick up the next members of his crew who would be attending the conference. Dylan found that his thoughts drifted to the Maru, and he hoped that it was safe, he wouldn't know until the rendezvous, as they were maintaining communications silence to ensure that there would be no chance of Yussuf discovering the Maru was not in attendance.

"Keep your wits about you, be on the lookout for any sightings of Yussuf," Dylan quietly ordered, he was not going to let a tyrant like Yussuf destroy his vision.

Rhade and Trance simply nodded their heads, as they boarded the transport, but Dylan stopped, something was wrong, and he nodded toward Rhade to follow him.

"Trance, make apologies, and tell them I will follow," Dylan quickly said, and it was clear he had spotted something so Trance did not question him as he let the transport go.

"What is it?" Rhade asked as they casually walked back to the shuttle.

"Just follow my lead," Dylan ordered and cautiously approached the shuttle, before he boarded.

They walked through the smaller ship and Dylan drew his force lance on spotting a lone man sitting in a corner.

"Tell me your business," Dylan ordered.

The man looked shocked by Dylan's return, and his approach, as his eyes stared at the force lance with fear. "I'm over seeing the transfers," he stammered.

"I have crew quite capable of doing that, now tell me why you look as though you are awaiting transport to my ship," Dylan demanded.

"I," the man hesitated, taking hurried breaths.

"He's hiding something," Rhade noted. "And his uniform is ill fitting, it seems as though it was made for a smaller man," he added.

"Care to explain who the hell you are, and what the hell you are doing?" Dylan offered in a manner that was demanding. "Rhade, maybe he needs a bit more encouragement?" Dylan gestured.

Rhade moved forward, his bone blades on show, as he grabbed the man holding him securely; making sure the man got an even closer look at his blades.

"I was ordered to," the man began but hesitated, he seemed in two minds.

"Go on, we haven't got all day, a little conference is waiting for me," Dylan stressed.

"Yussuf, wanted me to confirm sighting of his girl, of Dani," the man finally spoke, his eyes fixed on the bone blades.

"Why?" Dylan asked, knowing that Yussuf had no reason to suspect she wasn't on the ship, no reason at least that he was aware of.

"Another vessel, Yussuf wants confirmation of which vessel Dani is on," the man continued, feeling the blades digging into his chest now.

"Dylan," Rhade simply said, giving very little away but at the same time confirming Dylan's fears, Yussuf knew about the Maru's detour.

"What else do you know?" Dylan asked.

"Nothing I promise, we are told the minimum of information, I've been sat here for days awaiting instruction, and this is all I've been given," the man pleaded now with them to believe him.

"Take him back to the Andromeda, put him in the brig for now," Dylan ordered to Rhade. "Order the crew to act as though Dani is on board, if any more spies turn up they are to believe Dani is here."

"Understood sir," Rhade confirmed. "But," he added cautiously.

"We have to warn Beka, but I can't be seen to be distracted, or to be leaving too soon, it'll put too much attention on the Maru," Dylan simply stated, and then he looked at Rhade. "Rhade, I trust you can be discreet, and maybe your new friend could be of some help to you in remaining undetected?" Dylan suggested, and with a quick pat on the arm, the captain hurried from the shuttle to rejoin Trance at the conference.

Rhade looked at his new friend, seemingly already gaining respect from the terrified man. "We are going on a little trip, and you better hope you are helpful to me," Rhade warned, pushing the man forward, and only hope that he'd be able to track the Maru's path.

* * *

Wherever he was, he didn't want to leave, it was beautiful and calm, and unlike any place he'd ever been to in life. All of his worries, his thoughts and emotions were absent, and he allowed the calm to totally embrace him, free from the turmoil that had always been his life. Relaxed, happy and without a care in the world, Harper had finally found paradise.

"Hey," a voice threatened to disturb his peace. "Seamus, come on," the voice persisted.

"No," Harper complained, although it sounded muffled, and then his eyes snapped open and he realised he had been dreaming, and now it was time to wake up.

"Time for your meds," Beka stated, her arm resting on his shoulder now.

Wearily Harper rolled onto his back, and finally opened his yes. "Where are we?"

"Heading towards some drift I've never heard off, Lanios?" Beka attempted to remember. "How are you feeling?"

Harper just shrugged in response, then reached over for the inhaler and injector that Trance had supplied to him before they had left. As Beka looked on, Harper took a deep breath with the inhaler, and then injected himself with his daily does of drugs that Trance determined that he needed.

"Are you breathing better now?" Beka asked, concerned in part by Harper's silence.

"Yeah, it's getting there," Harper offered, but still grimaced as he made to move from the bunk.

"Want me to check your hands?" Beka suggested.

"Bandages are holding ok," Harper simply said, with a quick glance at the damage he had inflicted on his own hands.

"You scared me back there," Beka admitted, and she was looking at her hands, as they nervously fidgeted.

Harper just sniffed, still clearing his head from sleep, and getting his bearings. Something was missing, and it had been since he came on board, but he felt it more now, now that he was getting back to feeling like himself again after his latest episode.

"You're missing her, aren't you?" Beka then said in answer to Harper's thoughts, and Harper only looked at her for a second but it was enough to answer her question. "You've only known her for a day or so, Harper," she softly protested.

"Long enough, Beka, and I don't care if she isn't the one," Harper turned to face Beka now, his face full on conviction towards his friend. "I like her ok? As a friend, as with anyone, I want to know her, so yeah, I'm sorry but I do miss her Beka, because I was enjoying her company," then Harper looked conflicted. "No offence, Beka, and you know I respect you, hell I've never respected anyone like I do you, but that doesn't give you the right to dictate who I am friends with."

Beka took a moment before responding, it was rare that Harper talked like this, his voice even and serious, without it's usual attitude. "I'm not trying to dictate anything, Harper," Beka protested.

"No?" Harper questioned, sounding older than usual.

"Harper, surely you can see the situation here, don't you see the danger you are in?" Beka asked, with a sign of desperation. "Would you prefer that I just turn a blind eye, what kind of friend would I be then?" Beka asked and searched Harper's expression for any sign that he did realise the full picture, but she saw no indication that he did. "Harper, don't you care that you are playing a very dangerous game with a tyrant like Yussuf?"

"This has nothing to do with Yussuf," Harper argued lightly. "It's just about me and Dani," Harper sighed.

"You know that's not true, Harper," Beka returned. "This is all about Yussuf, you can't keep ignoring this fact, in the hope that he never finds out, or finds you," Beka responded. "Right now he's ready to disrupt a whole Commonwealth Conference to get Dani back," she reminded him.

"What he's doing on Ipcres is not about Dani, it's about power, that's all it ever is with Yussuf," Harper stressed. "He wants to bring the Commonwealth down because he feels threatened by it, not because of what happened to Dani, maybe it's you who doesn't understand," he argued.

"He still cares about Dani, and he obviously wants her back, what part of the attack on the Andromeda, Harper, made you think that Dani is just an afterthought?" Beka stressed. "Has Dani told you anything about her association with him?" she asked with curiosity.

Harper looked uncomfortable for a moment, and then sad. "She said they'd been together a few times, but she wasn't proud of this, and to be honest, I'm not entirely convinced she had a say in the matter," he said, now with some anger.

Beka looked away for a moment, in part surprised that Harper and Dani had actually spoken about Yussuf in that way.

Harper took the opportunity with Beka's silence to continue speaking. "I just want to see Dani, and be with Dani, can't you see that?" Harper simply said, looking away from Beka. "She is not Yussuf, she has not tormented that system, she is not to blame for what Yussuf has done," Harper said with frustration. "The universe is a big place, and Yussuf does not own it all, we don't have to live in fear of that man," he then stated.

"So that's it?" Beka asked, with a touch of surprise and hurt in her voice. "After a day or so of knowing Dani, you're just going to leave with her, spend the rest of your life on the run with her?" Beka looked away. "Great, well, it's been great knowing you, if this is it," she proclaimed with arrogance.

"No!" Harper protested loudly, and then composed himself as he then looked at Beka with frustration. "I don't know what to say to you anymore, Beka," he finally admitted with some despair. "I freaked out earlier because you're driving me crazy, twisting my words, and all this talk," he stressed, and it showed in both his expression and his actions. "What do you want?" he then asked with desperation. "For me to say 'I'll never see her again', for me to just lock myself away until she goes away?" he asked with confusion.

Beka looked upwards. "I just want you to open your eyes and see the full picture, Harper, that's all."

"And then what?" Harper asked, gesturing with his arms.

"And then," Beka began to answer but fell short of words, not really knowing what else he could do. "Just," she attempted to continue.

"To forget about Dani," Harper concluded for her. "To just forget she exists and return to being your Harper, right?"

"Is that such a bad option?" Beka questioned.

"I love her, Beka, and I'll keep saying it until you listen and understand," Harper calmly said, as he moved towards Beka. "I think we do have a future, if we want it, and I do not see anything stopping us, not even you Beka, and I mean that," he added with angered conviction towards his friend.

"Is that what you think?" Beka argued. "You really don't care, do you?" Beka realised with some degree of horror. "You actually hate me, and you think I have split you and Dani up unfairly, and for reasons I'm not even sure I want to know."

Harper now faced away from Beka, but he noticeably relaxed and then turned to her. "I don't hate you, Beka, I just don't understand why you've done what you have, Dani hasn't hurt me and I'm not some stupid kid that needs looking after, I ran away from living in a controlled environment, and I thought I was free now," he added, still with a hint of anger.

"Trance told me about the shock Dani hit you with," Beka countered, remember what she had been told and knowing it could have so easily killed him.

"Done in confusion before her head was fixed," Harper defended quickly.

Beka moved closer to Harper, she wanted to hold him but she knew that right now that wouldn't be a good idea, he was angry, upset and feeling down, and it was partly her fault. "Look, I'm sorry ok?" Beka offered. "But I'm just doing what I've always done, and I have I failed you before?" she asked. "Harper, you are free to do what you want, to make all the decisions you want, good or bad, but you can not stop me caring, or doing what I feel is necessary to ensure that you stay safe, don't hate me for caring!" she stressed before leaving the area.

Harper let his head drop, it was always hard confronting Beka, especially when he thought the world of her but right now he felt nothing but conflict. He wasn't being lovesick, he'd been lovesick enough in his time to know this wasn't it, he was just missing a friend, like he always misses his friends, he was feeling the same for Trance and Rommie right now, and he was just noticing her absence and missing their presence, why couldn't Beka understand that?

Only Harper knew it was different, he was missing Dani in a different way to Rommie and Trance, he had hardly had a chance to get to know Dani and now he wanted that chance. They had shared something he had never felt before, he'd never wanted to be so close to someone like he wanted to be close to Dani, and he wasn't prepared to just give that up because of Dani's past. He knew all about having a past and he was not going to judge Dani on her associations, it came with the territory, and it was not a part of the equation to him.

Harper grabbed a clean shirt and put it on, before moving through the Maru to the service area where Beka was preparing breakfast. He sat down without word, and just watched as Beka crashed and banged her way through making breakfast, taking out her anger and frustration on the kitchen utensils.

"Beka," Harper finally spoke up. "Could you keep it down, still got a slight headache," Harper offered, hoping to break the tension.

Beka stopped, and took a deep breath. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"I'm good," Harper responded. "Just a sparky, if we have one."

Beka grabbed her own breakfast and then a sparky, before she returned to the table. Harper took the can and took little time to open it and down most of its contents.

"So where is she?" Harper asked, focused on the sparky can. "Where is Dani being kept so she can't hurt me?"

Beka looked at Harper, and it was clear she was in two minds about revealing the details. "You want the truth?"

Harper seemed confused by her response, he just wanted to know. "Well, yeah, if it's not too much trouble," he mocked. "I've gone nearly half a day without asking haven't I? So, just tell me, unless you don't trust me enough not to run after her."

"Harper," Beka sighed, but she was rapidly losing the energy to try and get Harper to understand her position, so she composed herself before continuing, and with a resigned expression she spoke. "She's in the cargo bay."

Harper almost dropped his sparky can, and he couldn't speak as he just stared at Beka to check she wasn't joking. "What?" he finally managed, and got to his feet. "The freaking cargo bay, she's been onboard the Maru all this time?" he checked with disbelief, he had just assumed when he hadn't seen any other bunks occupied that Dani had been left behind, or taken elsewhere.

Beka attempted to speak, but nothing came out, she didn't know how to explain what had seemed a perfectly rational move back on the Andromeda, one that Dani had agreed to, in truth it had been the only way they had managed to get Dani to go with them.

"I don't believe this, Beka," Harper spoke with clear shock, unable to even attempt to understand as he moved back through the ship.

"Harper," Beka finally recovered her senses, as she got up to follow him. "Take it easy, it's not how it seems."

"You treat my friend like cargo and you're telling me I've misjudged the situation?" Harper stressed.

Beka was growing concerned now by Harper's activity, he was worked up and she didn't want him to have another fit that could harm his progress. "Please, Harper, just remember for a second what Trance told you about your condition, and calm down, take it slowly," Beka called after him with concern.

"Don't treat me like a freaking kid, Beka! I'm sick of this!" Harper snapped and quickly moved away, towards the cargo bay.

Beka didn't hesitate in following, and watched as Harper climbed up the ladder and towards the bay. By the time Beka had caught him up, she saw him already embracing Dani fondly, and she took a moment to take in the scene. Harper and Dani together, her instincts wanted to pull them apart and she wanted to continue protecting Harper, but as she looked at them both, she realised that they were both embracing each other, it wasn't all Harper, or all Dani, it was genuine and the shock of her realisation made her just continue to stare.

"What are you going to do now, Beka?" Harper now asked, Beka had not noticed them pull away, so caught up in her own thoughts. "Find the nearest airlock?"

Beka needed time to think, and she couldn't look at either of them. Knowing she couldn't deal with this, she turned and simply left them, returning to the main section of the Maru, her sanctuary.

Harper was telling the truth, as was Dani, they genuinely had feelings for each other and if she hadn't seen it herself, she would never have believed it but in that one embrace she had seen so much. It was like being kicked in the gut, she was losing Harper to this woman who she didn't trust, but who obviously cared, and Beka's confusion was eating at her. Was she happy? For Harper it was nice, she considered, to see him in the arms of someone who seemed to be returning his feelings, it was almost rare, and Beka had doubted for some time that she'd ever see that.

"Beka?" Harper's voice broke through her thoughts and she turned to him with distraction. "Are you ok?"

Beka focused and noticed now that Harper was alone, Dani had remained in the cargo bay. "Yeah, I'm good," she said unconvincingly, and with more emotion than she realised.

"I'm sorry," Harper then offered and Beka didn't understand why he was apologising.

"For what?" Beka had to ask.

Harper shrugged slightly. "I don't like fighting you, but I'm not going to walk away from Dani just because you want me too."

Beka just nodded her head to show she understood, she did now, she fully understood, she had seen it with her own eyes but how could she explain that to Harper.

"Isn't there any way you can just tolerate Dani? At least so she can join us down here?" Harper asked quietly, and a little nervously. "Where it's warm, where there's food, and me?" he added lightly trying to improve the atmosphere.

"Bring her down," Beka simply said and turned away. "I won't get in your way," she then added, but she sensed that Harper was still stood behind her. "I should be apologising, I've been a real cow lately and maybe I need to just get out of your hair, and just stay out of your way."

"Thanks," Harper simply said, but Beka heard his footsteps stop once more on the deck. "But don't you dare stop watching my back, ok? I still need you to look out for me, and I'll keep looking out for you, as it's always been," his voice simply said before he continued back to the cargo bay.

Beka could only smile, glad in part that Harper had accepted her apology and hadn't caused another scene, she was still worried about his health. Returning to the serving area, Beka sat down and finished her breakfast, whilst hearing the sounds of Dani and Harper moving around the ship, as he helped her to move into the crew quarters.

TBC


	22. Part 22

Part 22

The slip fighter was small enough to move away from the Andromeda without being spotted, Rhade used all his skill and judgement to avoid detection by the sectors scanners. Now all he had to do was find some trace of the Maru, but he knew it would be tough. Rhade had decided to decline the help of the man Dylan had found on the shuttle, he proved useless with information, so now had the brig for company. Rhade suspected now that he knew very little, but the man had taught him something, and that was that Yussuf ran a very tight ship, and only those who needed to know the facts actually knew them.

Rhade's thoughts drifted to Beka, on the Maru and he could only guess at the danger she was in, along with Harper and Dani. It was up to him now, he had to find the Maru before Yussuf's men did, he had to warn them all, because Rhade didn't like the alternative, he didn't want to have to try and find them if Yussuf's men already had.

Rhade activated a slip stream portal and started his quest to find the Maru.

* * *

The Maru powered down, and Beka released the restraints and relaxed as she checked the surrounding area outside. The drift looked like many others she had seen in her lifetime, it wasn't quite the planet she had promised Harper, it had no surf or sand, but it was a place to disappear for a couple of weeks until the rendezvous with the Andromeda.

The flashing light on the console beside her caught Beka's attention, and she activated the incoming message.

"This is the port authorities, before you leave your vessel we need to come on board to check and authorise your entry to the drift," a man in port uniform stated.

"OK," Beka showed her confusion. "Is this a new thing? I've never had you guys come on board before, usually us checking in at the desk is enough," she returned casually.

"We've had a few problems in recent years, and this directive means we can keep a tighter control on who comes and goes on this drift, crime has been reduced by thirty percent as a result of our changes," the man stated.

"Fine, come on board," Beka instructed and deactivated the message.

With haste, Beka moved through the ship and retrieved an old machine from deep within the Maru's storage compartments. Hearing footsteps, Beka didn't look up as she activated the machine.

"Boss?" Harper's voice questioned. "Why aren't we leaving the ship?" he asked.

"They have different methods of registering with this drift, simple ship ID's aren't enough, we got a couple of guards coming on board to check us out," Beka announced, focused on the machine.

"Sounds kinda weird, they board every ship like this?" Harper asked.

"It's not exactly a busy drift, Harper," Beka answered with distraction. "Maybe because they don't get much traffic, they can do stuff like this?" she reasoned, and then pulled out a chip from the machine, handing it to Harper. "As of now, you are Henry Stryker, I am Sally Simons, and Dani is Jessica Simons, my cousin."

"Great, let's pretend, just like the old days," Harper said with little enthusiasm.

A noise sounded to alert Beka to the arrival of the port guards, and Beka looked up giving Harper another chip. "Go get Dani, and give this to her," she instructed, as she moved past him to greet the guards.

The airlock soon opened and Beka waited for the men to board the ship. Two of them had turned up, just as Dani and Harper stepped through to join Beka.

"Is this your full crew?" the first guard asked.

"Yeah, and you are?" Beka asked with a fake cheer.

"My name is Lieutenant Johnson, and your name?" the guard asked, a pad in his hand awaiting a response.

"Sally, Sally Simons," Beka stated and handed over her chip that the guard quickly scanned.

"And you are the captain, correct?" the guard checked.

"Yeah," Beka agreed and took back her false chip.

"And these two?" the guard now turned his attention to Harper and Dani.

"I'm Henry," Harper said, trying hard not to smirk as he handed over his chip. "Ship's engineer," he added, before he turned to Dani. "This is Jessica Simons, Sally's cousin and our environmental officer," he then declared and gestured to Dani to hand over her chip, as he took his back.

"Right," the guard looked at each of them in turn. "Thank you for your time, I hope you find what you are looking for on our drift," Johnson returned to Dani her chip.

"Pleasure," Beka said with a forced smile, and they all watched as the guards left.

Harper raised his eyebrows. "Anyone else find that all a bit strange?"

"Come on, let's find a place where we can lay low for a while," Beka stated, with urgency.

"Beka," Harper spoke up. "How many drifts have we been to in our time, hell you've been to more than me, have you ever had that happen before?"

"Loads of times," Beka stressed.

"I mean before we've done anything wrong," Harper argued.

"It seemed ok to me," Dani spoke up. "Maybe you're being just a little paranoid right now?"

Harper looked around with a sigh. "Ok, maybe I am," he added, as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Harper, regardless of how weird that was," Beka shrugged. "We can't arrive and then leave, we'll just draw attention to ourselves," Beka reasoned softly. "We're here now, and if those guys are not what they seem, then we have to just be more alert, ok?" Beka stated. "No use getting all worked up now, is there?"

Harper looked away, before he glanced back at Beka. "You knew this would happen, and I didn't listen did I?" he realised. "You know just as well as I do that those guys were just confirming our presence here, and they know full well who we actually are."

"What do you mean?" Dani stepped forward.

"Yussuf is probably finding out this very minute that we're right here," Harper shrugged, turning back to Beka. "So what do we do boss?"

"We get lost on this drift and just hope that we have some friends watching our backs," Beka confirmed.

"Andromeda shaped friends," Harper added.

"If Yussuf knows I'm here, with you," Dani began to panic, until Harper stepped close to her and held her tight.

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "I was always told that it's nice to be wanted," he offered awkwardly.

Beka grabbed a bag, and soon Harper and Dani did likewise, and with caution they left the Maru, in the hope of finding safety on the drift.

* * *

Yussuf sat back, and his hands were clasped together tightly. A smile crept across his face, and he slowly considered his next instruction. Dani had been sighted, but not on the Andromeda, or on Ipcres, but on a dead end drift, the Andromeda crew had somehow worked out to keep her away from Ipcres, and send her on that ship.

There was only one way they could have known about his plans for the conference, and he figured with anger brewing that they had tortured his Dani, his beautiful Dani, for the information she had. Inside he felt sick, his hand involuntary lifted itself up and slammed down hard on the desk.

"I want them caught, I want them secured and I want them brought before me," Yussuf yelled. "No one touches my Dani, no one uses her in this way!" he continued to rant to his minions. "Bring me the space pirate that is Beka Valentine and that dirty kludge, and I was you more than anything else to rescue my poor Dani, make sure she is treated like a princess for the torment they have bestowed upon her!"

"Sir," the minions all accepted in unison, and hurried out of the room, leaving Yussuf to only imagine the horrors his poor Dani had experienced at the hands of her monster captors.

* * *

The drift offered a lot of hiding places, as Beka, Harper and Dani walked quickly amongst the crowds, but still Harper looked around, his senses on full alert and it didn't go amiss with Beka.

"What is it?" she asked him with concern.

"We're being watched, followed," Harper stated between short breaths, his focus on maximum.

"You sure?" Beka checked, and Harper only nodded his head. "We have to lose them," she stated, from experience she knew not to ignore his concerns.

"Follow me," Harper moved forward and headed down a side ally, a protective arm around Dani.

They moved quickly, past people minding their own business, and suddenly Harper pulled Dani into an alcove and Beka soon joined them. With care, Harper glanced around the edge of the wall and he saw two men, both looking in different directions, both trying to find them.

"I think we've lost them," Harper confirmed as the men continued walking, having missed the side ally.

"Let's find a room for the night," Beka suggested.

"How?" Dani asked. "Surely they've put out our descriptions by now," she stressed.

"Yeah, and people here will be looking for three people, two blondes and a brunette fitting our descriptions," Beka said with confidence, then shook her head and Dani watched in awe as she saw Beka's hair turn black like the night.

Beka took one of her wrist bands and used it to tie her hair back, she then removed what little make up she wore, and Dani had to admit that she no longer fitted her description.

"I'm impressed," Dani had to finally say.

"You learn a few tricks, the life I've led," Beka simply said.

"And I only work with the best," Harper smiled, as Beka left the alcove.

"Let's go, we passed a few guest houses a block from here," Beka remembered. "The one named Sunset View advertised rooms," she stated. "So wait round the back, I'll make sure I get a room with a view," she smiled.

"This is crazy," Dani finally said once Beka had left them. "I can't believe Yussuf has found us, I mean I thought," Dani began but Harper soon stopped her with a gentle kiss.

"I know," Harper agreed once he pulled away. "But as long as we can stay ahead of the goons," Harper suddenly pushed Dani back, and this time straight amongst the garbage cans.

Dani was about to protest when she heard the footsteps, someone was coming and when she caught a glimpse of that someone's clothes, she knew it was their friends, the guards again. Harper dared not breathe, and Dani soon joined him as the guard slowly walked past their position, the guard was sniffing the air, and Harper closed his eyes, a Nietzschean, how had he not spotted that earlier? The uniform he wore, hid his blades well, Harper considered. Thankfully the disgusting stench of the bins hid their own scent, and soon the uber guard moved on, missing them both completely.

"We better go find that guest house," Harper indicated. "We'll take the back route, but first," Harper took some of the garbage and began rubbing it over his clothes and exposed skin.

"What are you doing?" Dani asked with disgust.

"It's gross I know," Harper stated. "But if you don't want old big nose catching a whiff of us, I'd recommend you do the same."

"Old Earth trick?" Dani questioned and found herself some trash to use.

"Old Earth survival method," Harper corrected. "Let's hope the shower works in the room Beka gets us." Dani brightened at that thought, causing Harper to smile. "Man, I must be distracted, even I hadn't considered that," he grinned, and they both quickly moved away from the ally.

* * *

Rhade was focused, having scanned five systems already he had to be. Looking for a tiny trace of a ship long gone was always going to be an impossible task. As he looked at the monitor for readings he picked up a disturbance close by, a slip port was opening and he focused the long range scanner.

A ship appeared, but it was not one the slip fighter could identify. Rhade scanned it and discovered it was an unmarked vessel, raising his suspicion, another ship then arrived through another slip stream portal, and once space had returned to normal Rhade was able to easily infiltrate the communication between both ships, obviously they felt they were alone, over confident.

The message was mainly static, and Rhade was about to give up trying to make any sense of it when he heard something that made him sit up and take notice.

"Yussuf," a male voice spoke, but that was all he could understand, until the return message brought him the miracle he sought.

"Then," the message crackled. "Let's go, lead us," the message finished.

Rhade reacted with speed, and once the slip portal was opened, he niftily followed the two ships in, knowing they would never detect the slip fighter, if they were not expecting to find it.

* * *

A window opened finally and Harper looked up, and with relief he saw the beaming smile of the blonde again Beka gesturing to him to join her in the room. There was a three storey climb, but with some arrangement of junk and boxes close by, it was possible and soon Dani took the first steps up, with Harper watching her every move. It was tricky but soon accomplished, and Harper took his first steps up, taking care not to do anything stupid.

Beka suddenly looked down the back street. "Harper, freeze," she motioned, and Harper stopped for a second. "The guards are coming, they are about twenty meters away, hurry," she said with haste.

Harper quickened his movements and scrambled up the boxes, he then jumped up to reach the final bit and his hands got hold of the window ledge. He could now hear the guards and he decided it was too risky to try and pulled himself into the room so instead he pressed in against the wall, and thanked his lucky stars that he had worn all black that day. Hearing Beka whispering morale support, and an update on the guard's progress, Harper knew he was hidden against the darkness of the wall, the guards wouldn't look up, but his arms were beginning to tire, and guards seemed to be in no hurry.

Harper moved his hand, to try and get a firmer grip, and he felt the strain now, and beads of sweat ran down his face. His full weight was now felt in his hands as they struggled to keep a grip, but he knew he had to hold on. The next thing Harper heard was Beka saying that the guards had passed and he then felt himself being pulled up, feeling hands grabbing hold of him as he leaned over the ledge, before Harper felt the floor of the room, and he lay back to recover his composure and energy. Sitting up he reached for his pocket and quickly found his meds, needing to ease the tension he felt in his lungs, as the pain threatened to return with the stress of hanging from a third floor ledge.

"That was too close," Harper panted, but he now wore a smile.

"Like old times," Beka agreed, also seeming to enjoy the moment.

"Are you crazy?" Dani protested.

Harper sat up, still grinning. "Come on, you gotta enjoy it, babe, what else can we do?"

"You use to live like this?" Dani asked.

Harper shrugged and looked at Beka. "Sometimes we had to," he answered.

"Now, just like in the past," Beka declared. "I hate bad smells, and you two, I can't even imagine what you've been doing to stink up this room this badly, both of you, go shower, before I throw you both back out that window," Beka ordered.

"Beka, kinky, wanna join us?" Harper hinted with a cheeky grin.

"Harper," Beka warned lightly.

"Ok, ok, going to shower, with Dani," he grinned. "I like this now a lot better than in the past when you used to order it," he stated, grabbing Dani around the waist, bringing a more relaxed smile to the girl that had been absent since they had arrived on the drift.

"Just try and keep the noise down, I am supposed to be on my own in here," Beka sighed as she took a seat, almost resigned now to the couple status she saw before her but appreciating Harper's actions knowing that Dani was genuinely scared and confused. Beka could never handle panicked beings very well at the best of times, and she watched as they both soon disappeared into the bathroom like a couple of teenage kids, bringing even a smile to her face.

* * *

The talk had long lost its appeal so much so that Dylan no longer knew what was being discussed. He was distracted, and almost disappointed, it had been almost a day now of endless talks at the conference and so far, no trouble from Yussuf. Security had done its job, and Yussuf had not disrupted anything, but Dylan also knew that there could be another explanation for the lack of action, and that was that Yussuf had discovered that Dani was not on Ipcres.

All along they had assumed Yussuf had wanted to disrupt the conference for his own power games, but maybe they had misjudged his dedication to Dani. As he sat there, bored by all the talk, Dylan now wished he had gone with Rhade, and he crossed his arms to show his agitation.

"Dylan, people are wondering why you seem so unhappy to be here," Trance whispered.

"Let them wonder," Dylan simply responded. "Our crew are in trouble and I'm sat here making nice and eating little fancies," he hissed with disgust.

"We are here to discuss the very real threat of the world ship," Rommie now pointed out. "We should not loose sight of this fact."

"And if I have no crew to fight the world ship with, we've already lost our edge," Dylan said with passion, and both Rommie and Trance failed to respond.

Suddenly the room became a flurry of confusion as two blasts sounded from outside the conference room, and Dylan was immediately to his feet, almost relieved for the distraction, and with Rommie and Trance, he hurried to the nearest exit to investigate.

TBC


	23. Part 23

Part 23

Beka Valentine stood by the window, out of sight as she looked down into the street below. It was quiet now, with hardly any people around and she was restless. The situation was playing on her nerves, knowing that there were people out there looking for them, and not knowing how they would get out of this place now, hoping that lady luck was travelling with them.

The door to the bathroom finally opened and Seamus Harper stepped back into the room, fully clothed again, his old instincts kicking in to be ready to move if necessary at a moments notice.

"Anything?" Harper simply asked, as he closed the door behind him.

"It's all quiet," Beka simply said. "Too quiet," she sighed. "One of us should keep watch, and let the other two rest, so I'll take the first watch," Beka offered.

Harper half smiled. "You're now encouraging me and Dani to sleep together?" he asked.

Beka looked at Harper with fondness. "Just remember I'm right here, and that you're supposed to be sleeping."

Dani now stepped into the room, and she looked apprehensive, as she looked between Harper and Beka.

"We need to rest," Harper informed her. "What side of the bed do you want?"

"I'm not tired," Dani simply responded.

"You have to rest, we don't know when we'll next get the chance," Beka instructed.

"Come on," Harper encouraged. "She's right, we need to rest when we can, and Beka's taking first watch."

Dani reluctantly moved to the bed and took the left side, with Harper moving to the right and Beka watched as they both got comfortable. After a few moments, and without speaking they both instinctively moved closer until they were holding each other and falling into a light sleep, and Beka couldn't help but look on with a touch of jealousy, it had been so long since she had been able to simply be close to someone.

Beka diverted her gaze to the street outside the window, as a good thirty minutes passed slowly by, and she knew the other two were now asleep. It was quiet enough that she could hear all manner of movement outside, but it made her weary. One sound suddenly caught her attention, but it wasn't coming from the street, it was coming from within the building. Voices were coming from the floor below, and Beka got down lower, placing her ear against the worn out carpet. The voices were distinctive and she recognised them immediately, the guards were doing room searches, probably checking all the latest arrivals.

"Harper, Dani," Beka moved closer to the bed, and gently shook Harper. "Sorry guys, you have to disappear, the guards are here," Beka stressed.

Harper took a moment to get his bearings, having only just woken up next to Dani. "Disappear, where?" Harper asked, as he quickly sat up now whilst making sure Dani woke up.

"Outside, the ledge runs wider than the window, they won't look out there," Beka suggested urgently, she could now hear the voices on their floor.

Dani quickly scrambled to her feet with Harper and as they heard a loud knock on the door, they made their way outside onto the ledge.

"Keep the window open, Beka, the stench out here should cover our tracks," Harper stated, before ducking out of sight.

Beka took a deep breath, and shook her head to make her hair turn black again, before she quickly tied it back, and then opened the door. "Hello?" she nervously greeted the guards, recognising Johnson.

Lieutenant Johnson showed his surprise, and then he smirked. "Sally Simons, I could have sworn you had blonde hair before," Johnson stated arrogantly as he stepped into the room. "And I was expecting to see Elaina Morrison, she is the person who allegedly booked this room."

"Well, it pays sometimes to play it safe, you never know," Beka simply said.

"Where are the other two?" Johnson asked, as his companion checked the bathroom and signalled that no one was there.

"They are out, you know young loves, they are experiencing the nightlight," Beka shrugged.

"Elaina, Sally," Johnson simply said. "Can I call you Beka?"

"You could try, but I fail to see the point," Beka answered, and inwardly her fear began to rise.

"The point being, it's your name," Johnson stepped closer now to Beka, and the threat became more apparent. "And I want to know where that kludge has taken Dani."

Beka remained silent, but sensed Johnson cohort moving behind her. She stared at Johnson with contempt, and he seemed to be enjoying her silence. Suddenly Beka felt her hands being grabbed and yelled out as they were painfully forced behind her, now in the iron grip on the other guard.

"Now, now, Valentine, play ball, or face the consequences," Johnson stated clearly.

Outside on the ledge Dani glanced at Seamus, and she saw his reaction to Beka's yell of pain. She was caught in two minds, knowing they could remain undetected on the ledge, she also knew that it would take a miracle to keep Seamus from trying to help Beka. Dani made eye contact with Harper, and already knew what they were going to do, and she simply nodded her head, giving her approval, supporting him.

Back inside the room, Beka grimaced as the grip tightened and forced her down to her knees. "I won't tell you," she said with determinations.

"Oh I think you will, Beka Valentine!" Johnson's voice raised, and he raised his hand, striking Beka across her cheek.

Beka's head snapped sharply to the side, and it was all Harper could take, knowing he wasn't going to remain hiding whilst that uber beat on Beka.

"She doesn't have to tell you," Harper announced, and with Dani he jumped back into the room from the ledge outside. "Here I am, and here's Dani," Harper gestured, and felt Dani squeeze his hand fondly. "Now get your hands off Beka!" he demanded.

Johnson smiled with joy at the sight, having not expected to find the kludge so easily. "Get him away from Dani," Johnson ordered, and then he radioed for back up.

The guard pushed Beka down to the floor and roughly grabbed hold of Harper, forcing him away from Dani, as Johnson moved to Dani's side. Harper was pushed down to the ground to join Beka, he knew Beka wasn't pleased with him but he didn't care, he wasn't going to hide and let her take the flak.

Johnson took hold of Dani. "It's ok, now, you're safe, and you will be returned to Yussuf immediately." Dani didn't respond, causing Johnson to jump to conclusions. "I hope you will get over this unfortunate series of events," he said with fondness. "If Yussuf could have stopped it happening, he would have, and if he could have saved you sooner, you know he would have done that too," Johnson continued and then his face creased up with disgust. "My poor Dani," he looked sorrowful. "You are covered in that disgusting kludge's scent, I can only image the horrors you have experienced at the hand of that creature," he sneered towards Harper, who was about to protest until Dani glared at him, stopping him reacting.

"We will have to bathe you before you see Yussuf, you know how this will upset him further about your situation," Johnson instructed, but Dani simply looked at Harper, almost ignoring Johnson until he began to lead her towards the door. Harper's eyes just stared at Dani with concern, and unspoken words between them made them both know that they had to remain silent about the truth.

As Johnson reached the door with Dani, more guards appeared and Harper and Beka found themselves being restrained, with little care being given to their welfare as their hands were forced behind their backs. Johnson gestured to two of his men to take Dani back to the ship, and to take care of her, and he then returned to stand in front of Harper and Beka.

"Bring them to their feet," Johnson ordered and the guards pulled Beka and Harper up till they were standing before Johnson. Johnson's face immediately creased once again with disgust in front of Harper. "You insult me with your very presence," he declared and then turned to Beka. "And you associate with this thing," he gestured with distain. "Bring them both, it's time to leave, Yussuf will be arriving in a couple of hours, so we need to be ready."

Beka threw a concerned glance towards Harper, but he wasn't looking back at her, he seemed lost inside himself as they were led through the building, his face nothing but a mask showing no emotion. As they moved towards the exit of the building the landlord spat towards Beka as they passed her, throwing insults at the now blonde prisoner for risking the safety of her business, by choosing her establishment to hide from someone like Yussuf. Beka let her head drop, the whole situation had brought out a crowd, and she had never felt so humiliated as they were led through the streets, but as she looked at Harper he seemed indifferent to the whole situation, almost as if a part of him was use to this sort of treatment and she suddenly felt for her friend, and feared for the both of them.

* * *

There were bodies everywhere, and Dylan rubbed his face to rid the tiredness he suddenly felt. Two explosions had ripped through the conference centre, causing countless casualties and fatalities, and Dylan could only consider that it could have been a lot worse, the main meeting hall had been saved from attack.

Trance moved next to Dylan, taking in his emotions before speaking. "This attack served no purpose," Trance stated with sadness. "It was a pointless attack against innocent people."

"It did serve a purpose," Dylan corrected her, and moved on pass the line of bodies. "It was a distraction, a final gesture of defiance."

"Defiance?" Trance questioned.

"We are dealing with a man who believes he is better than anybody else, and this act of petulance has proved that, killing these people was nothing more than a show of his power," Dylan confirmed. "And that this conference and the Commonwealth are no longer his focus," he added.

"I don't understand, he had the opportunity to destroy the most important figureheads in the Commonwealth, but chose instead to maim innocents," Trance said with confusion.

Dylan stopped and stared at Trance with concern. "From the evidence we have, and from what we know of Yussuf, it would appear something of greater interest has come to his attention."

"Dani," Trance realised.

"He left us a parting shot, to let us know he was here and what he is capable of doing," Dylan gestured with anger showing in his expression. "But his insane obsession with Dani has caused him to drop everything, to go to her."

"All these people," Trance looked around at the dead and dying, the injured and scared people she saw. "Is it possible for one man to cause this much destruction, for a girl who we consider to be his slave?"

"We have to believe that this maniac is very capable of doing this, we have the evidence right here, and now that maniac is on his way to find Dani, and with her he will find Beka and Harper," Dylan stressed. "We can only hope Rhade has managed to find them first, but I know one thing, I'm not staying here a moment longer."

Trance simply nodded her head. "I should stay here, help these people," she indicated and Dylan didn't argue.

"Do what you can, I'll take Rommie and we'll keep in touch," Dylan stated, and put a comforting arm on Trance's shoulder. "Remind me in the future that there is no such thing as a simple mission," he attempted a grin, but it was more of a grimace as he moved away.

* * *

The screams ran through the ships corridors, and Beka closed her eyes recognising the source. Her hands tied tightly behind her back, her ankles bound together, and she now wore simple pants and top, prisoner wear she guessed. Beka knew why she was hearing the screams, as she had only thirty minutes earlier experienced the same. It was called the cleansing process, preparation of the prisoners to meet Yussuf, and it had stung like hell, whatever it was they used to clean them, and now Harper was going through the same process.

With a touch of concern Beka closed her eyes, trying not to imagine what Harper was going through, but knowing all too well. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling lengths of pain running down her back, sharp and intense. Beka remembered twice stumbling over, the shear intensity of the cleaning treatment had caused her to fall over and as a result they had punished her, and she felt the stinging sensation of the punishment now running down her back. With her eyes still closed, Beka controlled her growing anger and frustration, she had to remain vigilant and strong, or else they would win.

Hearing another cry from down the corridor, Beka could only hope that Harper's ordeal would be over soon, but she feared that the very fact Johnson had already shown disgust towards Harper's background, that things did not bode well for either of them. Her face now throbbed, and she could feel that her eyelid was burning and she felt blood running down the side of her face, it was probably only coming to her attention now in sympathy to the treatment she imagined Harper was receiving.

* * *

Rhade stayed back, far enough away to not be detected but he was growing restless. For the past hour he had remained stationary, awaiting the ships next move but they seemed to be going nowhere fast. He had long concluded that they had reached a meeting point, but it did nothing for his patience.

As he waiting the fears and concerns played on his mind, what were they waiting for? Rhade had no clue to the Maru's whereabouts, there was no trace of it in this sector, so he had nothing to go on now bar hearing Yussuf's name in transmission between the two ships he now watched. He was well aware that these ships could be waiting for supplies, or for anything, but he had to believe they were connected to Beka and the Maru.

It had been over ten hours now since he began his quest, he would be a fool to think that Yussuf's people hadn't now caught up with Beka, Harper and Dani, and he feared they had too much power for the threesome to escape. With regret, Rhade wished he had been able to reach them, but so good had there plans been to protect the Maru, they had inadvertently made it impossible to find in this instance. Rhade knew Yussuf had seen the Maru leave, how else did he know it had left the Andromeda and then request a sighting of Dani? They had the head start that guaranteed them access to the Maru and its crew, and now left Rhade with only six hours remaining of power in a slip fighter, hiding amongst the stars trying to keep hope.

The only comfort Rhade had was the knowledge that before he had entered the last slip stream portal, he had dropped a beacon and then had left an ion trial small enough for a ship like the Andromeda to detect and follow, but not be picked up by the ships he was following. He couldn't risk making any contact whilst he hid in the sector he now occupied, it would be like lighting the ship up with a sign saying 'shoot me'.

Rhade could only smirk at his increasingly maddening thoughts, he had to remain focused, as he continued to sporadically scan the sector and remain undetected, playing Yussuf at his own game, he thought with considered joy.

* * *

It was an old tactic, but one Harper had never forgotten, and that was that when someone was trying to convince him they were more powerful, he would simply stare at them to show defiance to their claim. Unfortunately, it usually only succeeded in making them madder, but Harper couldn't help himself.

He stared at the uber who called himself Johnson, but he didn't listen to a word the psycho was saying to him, it was only pointless insults he had heard nearly all his life, nothing new to him. His skin felt hot, a burning sensation all over and his eyes still stung, the worse pain was coming from the newly acquired welts on his back. Still he was ordered to remain standing having already tested what happened should he fall to the ground, the three burning slashes across his back testament to that.

"Rinse the kludge, before his skin starts to melt," Johnson then ordered, and before Harper could react, he felt the strength of two strong jets of water hit him full on in his stomach and he stumbled back under the insane pressure, finding himself sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath.

The water was unrelenting as it continued to almost drown him, at one point Harper felt as though he was being forced fed the stuff, as it hit him full in the face and once again he was unable to breathe for a moment. The water covered every inch of him with unrelenting pressure, ridding him of the burning sensation but it was freezing cold and he found himself now involuntarily shivering.

Harper didn't even notice when the water had stopped, until he felt a fresh smack of pain against his back, that continued for a further two strikes till he found his feet again.

"Dress and shackle him," Johnson said without emotion, and immediately pants were handed to Harper and with difficulty he attempted to put them on, with chains quickly being attached almost as soon as he was done. "He'll be presented to Yussuf soon, and I do not want our master to be disgusted by the sight of it."

Harper felt ready to drop, breathing heavily and sensing the returning pain in his lungs, he wanted his meds but already knew they were long gone. Behind him, he heard one of the ubers ask a question but he wasn't able to concentrate as he recovered his composure after his ordeal, the pain now radiating around his body.

Suddenly he felt his head being pulled back, and heard a noise he didn't recognise until he felt claw like sensations on his scalp. To his horror Harper realised they were cutting his hair, and they seemed to be giving him a crew cut and he tried to struggle to show his displeasure, but this only served to make the ubers hold him tighter, and handle the clippers scraping his scalp more roughly.

"We can not afford you to remain a filthy kludge in Yussuf's company!" Johnson snapped and as soon as the clippers were moved away, Johnson backhanded Harper sharply across the face.

It took all of Harper's willpower not to find himself on the floor once again, he wanted it to end but he was determined not to let the ubers see this, and he kept eye contact with Johnson the whole time, even with the blood he now tasted and felt escaping from his body.

"Take him away, and make sure those cuts are cleaned thoroughly, and Valentines as well, we can not encourage them to get sick on us," Johnson ordered, and then left the room.

Harper was pushed forward roughly, his head felt unnatural, his body sore as he stumbled along, and his bare feet now painfully walking along the grated floor, walking the short distance to the holding cell that he and Beka now occupied.

TBC


	24. Part 24

Part 24

"Another beacon, Dylan," Rommie spoke up, as she scanned the space surrounding them.

"Take us to it," Dylan ordered, back on the command deck of the Andromeda where he belonged.

"It's from Rhade," Rommie confirmed. "Playing short message."

The message was poor quality and Andromeda did what she could to make it clearer, it had obviously been sent discreetly. The noise faded slightly and Rhade's voice could finally be heard, so Rommie replayed the message as best she could.

"Intercepted transmission," Rhade's voice cut in. "Have followed two ships to these co-ordinates, they are loyal to Yussuf, I believe they can lead us to the Maru, or at least our crew mates," he finished.

Dylan frowned, as ever the Nietzschean philosophy kicked in for Rhade, who talked realistically, and accepting that too much time had passed for their crew not to have at least crossed paths with Yussuf's men. "Take us to these co-ordinates," Dylan simply ordered and Rommie complied.

* * *

The water was warm and the scent that rose in vapour was relaxing, and it certainly helped to wash away her troubles, and Dani relaxed in the comfort of her master's quarters on board one of his many ships in his fleet. No matter how much she enjoyed the luxury, Dani knew that in the lower depths of that same vessel, Seamus was suffering along with Beka, and she felt the pangs of guilt.

The door to the quarters then opened and Johnson, flanked by two of his flunkies strode in. Dani raised her hand to gesture her own assistant, who duly rushed to her side with a towel, expertly covering her as she left the comfort of the sunken bath she had enjoyed.

"Am I to assume you are Johnson, my assistant has mentioned you," Dani simply said, with an air of irritability.

"Dani," Johnson confirmed.

"We haven't met before have we?" Dani checked, as she wrapped the towel around herself.

"Not directly, but we have spoken briefly on occasion, but not enough for you to have probably taken note of me," Johnson explained.

"I see," Dani simply answered.

"I trust you enjoyed your bath," Johnson offered. "The past few days must have been very confusing for you, my dear."

Dani simply nodded her head, she had worked out early on that everyone had simply assumed she still suffered with her short term memory loss, and she had done nothing to tell them otherwise, knowing it could buy her time and give her an advantage should she want it.

"We rescued you earlier, do you remember that?" Johnson asked.

Dani feigned confusion, as she paced a small area of the room. "I remember being on a ship, we were at a drift, a hotel room?" she questioned.

"That's right," Johnson confirmed, as if testing to see what she remembered. "Your captors, traitors from the so called Commonwealth, thought they could outsmart us, and so we rescued you from some dirty kludge and his simple friend, we are returning you to Yussuf, so you are safe now," Johnson explained.

"OK," Dani simply said. "How long till Yussuf arrives?"

"We will be rendezvousing with him in a few hours," Johnson now stepped forward. "You know, you shouldn't hate Yussuf for his error in judgement."

"Error?" Dani questioned with intrigue, it was very rare that any associate of Yussuf had the guts to accuse Yussuf of making an error, especially to her.

"Your capture, I on the other hand had seen it coming for a long while, I tried to warn him, but, you know Yussuf," Johnson explained with fake amusement, as he tentatively put an arm around Dani's bare shoulders.

"Is there something else?" Dani was forced to ask, feeling uncomfortable.

"Dani, you are a valuable asset to our pride, your work over the years has been, in part, the secret of our success," Johnson stressed. "Your ability to store and deliver information, and your skill at remaining unnoticed, it's second to none, you know this right?"

"Stop boring me, and get to the point," Dani now asked, and moved Johnson's hand away from her shoulders.

"Dani, Yussuf allowed you to get caught," Johnson stressed.

"And?" Dani simply said.

"And he risked your life for some pointless reasons, he could have prevented the Commonwealth taking you, but instead he was over confident," Johnson exclaimed with passion. "Dani, the future of this pride is at risk, Yussuf is losing control but you could help us."

"Help who?" Dani asked with confusion.

"There's an underground movement, and we need you on side, Dani," Johnson stated. "We value your contribution, and we wouldn't risk this prides name in the manner Yussuf has recently displayed."

"Explain," Dani asked.

"He has not only risked your life, but all of our lives in his methods in trying to right his wrong, to try and bring you home," Johnson stressed. "You are important, but you deserve more than an obsessed half wit as your master."

Dani was amused now, never had she heard any of the pride refer to Yussuf in such ways, and she wondered briefly if this was a new thing, or if it had been around for some time underground.

"You know I am loyal to Yussuf, I owe him my life," Dani calmly spoke.

"We appreciate that, truly we do, but you're a smart kid, Dani, you must know his obsession with you is unhealthy, and risks all of our lives," Johnson spoke with concern.

"I am aware that Yussuf has certain ways to ensure I remain by his side," Dani struggled to explain.

"Dani," Johnson stepped closer now, his hand brushed her cheek, and then found her hand, as he clasped it tightly. "Yussuf is going to be overthrown, I just don't want you to go down with him, do you understand?"

Dani stared at the commitment in Johnson's expression, he was serious and his tone reflected this. "Why are you telling me this, now?"

"Because by the time you remember what I have said," Johnson simply shrugged. "Yussuf will be dead, and I want you to know where you stand with us, before you do anything stupid," He smiled, and then Dani felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck. "Now sleep child, forget for now, and then we will talk in about a week," he grinned, as Dani fell unconscious in his arms.

"Rough her up, I don't want Yussuf finding her looking like the Commonwealth treated her well," Johnson snapped, before leaving the room.

* * *

Beka looked up straight away, the door to their cell had been activated and moments later Harper stumbled back inside.

"Harper!" Beka exclaimed but could do very little, like Harper, she had her wrists and ankles bound together. Harper stumbled quickly to the floor and remained still for the moment. "Harper, speak to me, come on," Beka encouraged with concern.

"I'm good," was all Harper offered in returned.

"Come on, try to sit up at least," Beka requested, and to her relief she saw Harper attempt what she asked, and soon he was sitting with his legs crossed, facing her. "Nice change of image, it suits you," Beka said on seeing Harper's cropped hair.

"I haven't had it like this since," Harper began but quickly stopped, his head remaining down.

"Seamus, it's going to be ok, we can fight this, and we can beat this, right?" Beka encouraged strongly.

"Yeah," Harper responded, and flexed his arms as much as he could, and his shoulders already ached from having his hands tied behind his back. "Did you fall over too?" Harper then asked, finally looking up, allowing Beka to take in his beaten features, and guessed that what she was seeing probably matched her own beat up look.

"Three times," Beka simply said.

"Five for me," Harper returned.

"It's going to be tough, but we are strong, we can survive this, yeah?" Beka brightened slightly.

Harper found a smirk from somewhere, but it carried a mocking tone. "With respect, Beka, I appreciate what you're trying to do but you have no idea what we're facing here do you?"

"I have enough of an idea," Beka lightly argued. "And we will not give up, understand?"

"Who said anything about giving up?" Harper returned, finding some strength in his voice finally. "On this occasion, feeding me those lines about being strong and surviving is pointless, there's no way on hell I'd let these freaking ubers beat me," he stressed with age old passion. "I know you're just doing what comes natural, Beka, but it's me who should be saying these things to you, and you know that I've been in this situation before."

"I always suspected, but I never knew for sure," Beka admitted.

"Well it's not exactly good conversation matter," Harper sighed, and he edged closer to Beka. "Let me see."

"There's nothing to see," Beka knew Harper wanted to see the damage to her back.

"I need to see it," Harper stressed and after a few more moments of hesitation, Beka shuffled around.

"You won't see much with my top covering it," Beka pointed out.

"I can see enough," Harper said as he stared at the blood stained top that covered her back, clearly marking the three slashes. "This should never have happened, you should never have had to deal with this," Harper now seethed, as he moved away. "This is not happening," he then added with anger.

"Now let me see," Beka responded, knowing it was only fair, and to her surprise Harper offered no resistance, and he began to turn around. His top was bare having only been supplied with pants, so she saw the damage clearly, the five fresh cuts across his back. Beka also saw previous scars, reminding her even more that this was not a first time experience for Harper.

"It doesn't hurt, so don't think it does," Harper spoke up to Beka's silence. "Yours will because you're not use to it, you were unmarked, it's always the first couple of times that are the most painful, then, I guess your skin builds up a resistance, becomes numbed."

"Don't speak like that," Beka finally found her voice.

"Like what?" Harper asked.

"Like you're speaking from experience," Beka admitted, but she knew that's all he was doing.

"I should have listened, why didn't I listen to you?" Harper now complained bitterly.

"What?" Beka caught his tone, and questioned it. "Harper, this is not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Harper questioned. "My association, you told me it would end up like this but I didn't listen and now look at us, being treated like," Harper hesitated. "Like kludges and you don't deserve this, none of this," he stressed.

"Either do you, Harper," Beka countered. "And we're not here because of you, or your association with Dani," she argued. "We're here because Yussuf wanted Dani back, and he pulled out all the stops to ensure she was returned, and he wanted her back because the Commonwealth took her from him, not you, Rhade and I took her, so if anyone is to blame for this, then it was my mission, my fault."

Harper looked up at Beka, his face softened by her words. "It's not your fault," he offered.

"Then let's just stop assigning blame, and accept that the Commonwealth put us in this situation, ok?" Beka said with a grin.

"I can do that," Harper admitted.

"No one on this ship, bar me, Dani and you know the truth about you and Dani," Beka explained. "I guess we'll learn soon enough who was right about Dani," Beka offered, and caught the sideways glance Harper threw her. "If you must know, I was beginning to come around to your way of thinking," she admitted with a heavy sigh. "I am starting to believe that Dani is onside," she shrugged.

"Really?" Harper checked.

"Really," Beka nodded her head.

Harper took a deep breath. "I hope she's ok."

"You kidding, she's being treated like a princess I bet," Beka stated. "Don't worry about her, worry about us; this is not going to be an easy ride."

"Ain't that the truth," Harper remarked, he then caught a sound they both recognised, and they looked at each other. "We've docked with another ship," Harper acknowledged.

"Yussuf?" Beka asked with concern.

"Well, they've gone to all this effort to make us presentable, it has to be," Harper agreed, and then noticeably tensed.

"It'll be ok, Harper," Beka simply said.

"Just the thought of that," Harper took some short breaths to try and calm his anger. "If he touches Dani," he tried to continue.

"Try not to think about it," Beka advised with care. "I'm sure Dani can look after herself, and by all accounts he'll probably just be pleased to see her, she'll be ok."

Harper shifted uncomfortably on the floor, listening intently to the sounds the ship offered him, hating the situation he found himself in.

* * *

Rhade checked the slip fighter panels; he had roughly two hours before he'd have to start worrying about his situation, and his thoughts soon disappeared as he noticed a slip point event and two ships entered the space they were in. Rhade didn't need confirmation, he recognised the Eureka Maru immediately, and he began to scan the vessels as best he could.

What he had expected had happened, Beka, Harper and Dani had been found by Yussuf's men, the only thing Rhade didn't know was whether they were on either of those ships, and he didn't even want to contemplate the alternative, he focused on believing Yussuf wanted Beka and Harper alive.

With care, Rhade pushed the slip fighter forward, trying to get as close as he dared, so as not to be spotted by any of the ships scanners. The Andromeda had to get here soon, if these ships promptly decided to leave this system, he would only be able to follow so far, and Rhade was not one to enjoy failing.

* * *

Yussuf stepped on board his vessel, and he savoured the moment. Having had to deal with surroundings he didn't believe were good enough for him, coming back on board a more suitable ship, from his own fleet, was very pleasing.

A line of guards greeted his return, and Yussuf made sure they were all worthy men of his command; he checked their uniform and their attention to protocol as he past them.

"Commander," Johnson appeared from the doorway and stepped forward.

"Johnson I presume?" Yussuf identified.

"Sir, I trust you are happy with our efforts in taking care of your fine ship," Johnson acknowledged, and Yussuf simply nodded his head, moving quickly now into the inner depths of the ship.

"Where is she?" Yussuf demanded.

"She is sleeping, I fear she had quite the ordeal, sir," Johnson spoke urgently.

"I must see her," Yussuf dismissed, and he headed straight for his quarters, knowing his orders had been to place her there.

Within minutes Yussuf had arrived and he moved quickly to the large bed, and he indeed found Dani sound asleep amongst the luxurious sheets. For a moment he was silent, as he quietly stared at her sleeping form, before he gently turned her over onto her back and to his horror he saw she had beaten features.

Catching his breath at the sight, Yussuf struggled to keep calm, and he looked at Johnson, as if for answers.

"Its how we found her, sir," Johnson hesitantly explained. "I can't begin to imagine the horrors she face, thankfully we were able to bathe her, she had that kludge's scent all over her, I think he and his friend, Valentine, I think they did this to her," Johnson stressed.

"Take me to them, now!" Yussuf demanded.

* * *

The Andromeda exited into normal space with ease, and Dylan let the slip stream controls glide back, as he adjusted to normal space again.

"I have Rhade on sensors, I also see four ships, including the Eureka Maru roughly three light years from this location," Rommie informed her captain.

"Quite the little party going on," Dylan observed. "Ok, bring Rhade in, stay out of sensor range and we'll see about maybe gate crashing the little get together," he hinted.

"I have an incoming message from Rhade," Rommie announced and she put it through to the main view screen.

"Rhade, how you holding up?" Dylan greeted.

"Better than I imagine Beka or Harper are," Rhade said, as ever keeping it real.

"Are you sure they are on one of those ships?" Dylan asked, as he used Rommie's sensors to try and get a better picture of the situation.

"The ship closest to the Maru, if they are anywhere I imagine at this time they are on there, it arrived back with the Maru roughly an hour ago," Rhade informed him.

Dylan took the information in. "No real way of knowing though, unless we get closer, but I think remaining out of range for the moment is our best plan," Dylan considered. "Get yourself back on board, and we'll discuss this further, Dylan out."

* * *

The guards had already retrieved Beka and Harper from their cell, and now forced them to their feet, before Yussuf strode into the large room in the lower depths of his ship. Yussuf scanned the prisoners with obvious disgust, wearing a cloak that dramatically followed his exaggerated movements.

Harper avoided looking at Yussuf, knowing to do so would just remind him of Dani, and he'd probably do something he'd regret. Beside him, Beka was taking the opportunity to glare at the tyrant, the man she had been obsessively trying to figure out ever since Dylan gave her the mission.

"Beka Valentine, we meet at last," Yussuf finally declared, and he moved to stand in front of her. "You took something of mine, something precious to me."

"Really?" Beka mocked surprise.

Yussuf immediately reacted by backhanding Beka sharply, beside her Harper showed agitation that got Yussuf's attention.

"You don't like that, kludge?" Yussuf asked pointedly. "You don't like me striking your friend?"

Harper showed confusion, it sounded like a trick question. "No," he finally said, and kept a keen eye on Yussuf, to try and determine his next move.

"I can appreciate that," Yussuf agreed. "Which is why seeing the sight of my Dani has disturbed me so much, you didn't mind striking her did you!" he said with sudden fury towards Harper.

"I didn't touch her!" Harper protested before he considered the situation and as soon as he saw Yussuf's reaction to his protest, Harper backed down.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Yussuf sneered. "Are you suggesting that my eyes deceive me somehow?" Yussuf now jabbed a finger into Harper's chest. "Is a kludge judging me?" he questioned with arrogance.

"We didn't lay a finger on her," Harper attempted to explain.

"She was our guest, not our prisoner," Beka supported.

"I know what I saw, and I saw my beautiful Dani," Yussuf stopped for a moment to compose himself and he glared at Harper as he did so, then without warning he grabbed hold of Harper's shoulders. "I saw my princess, and I saw your handy work written all over her face, her beautiful face," he accused with venom, pushing Harper back now.

"He didn't touch her!" Beka now argued, concerned now for her friend's situation. With his hands tied behind his back, his ankles still restricted in their movement, Harper couldn't defend himself if Yussuf carried out the threat he now displayed.

"The Commonwealth that you represent, it thinks it can just take what's mine, and thinks it can tell us, innocent people who are just doing what's right, it thinks it can tell us how to do things?" Yussuf complained with anger, still staring intently at Harper. "Well enough, I will not stand for this new commonwealth and I will not stand for kludges harming my girl!"

"Dani was treated the same as a guest!" Beka yelled, desperately trying to delay whatever Yussuf had planned, at least enough for his mood to improve, because right now he looked ready to kill.

"Take her out of here," Yussuf dismissed, and he moved away from Harper, as he watched his guards taking Beka away.

"Harper," Beka called out, she needed to see him, to look into his eyes before she would leave.

"I'll be home for tea," Harper quipped, a brief smile across his face, showing defiance still in his pose.

"I'll make your favourite," Beka grinned back, knowing it was probably the most ridiculous exchange they had shared, considering the situation, but they needed something to hold onto, before she was removed from the area by force.

Harper waited now, carefully observing Yussuf who seemed to take great interest in just staring back at him. The larger Nietzschean stepped closer, and put his hand on Harper's closely cut hair, roughly jerking his head to one side.

"A kludge with a use," Yussuf sounded surprise, as he observed the metallic data port in Harper's neck. His uber hands reached out and tapped the exposed disk, causing Harper to involuntarily flinched, he always hated people touching his port. "Does it work?"

"Yeah," Harper answered with attitude.

"Interesting," Yussuf simply said, his hand still examining the disk. Yussuf then took hold of Harper's head, and looked closely at his face. "Face relatively unmarked," he stated. "What is your age?"

"I don't know," Harper answered, he had a good idea but he wasn't in a cooperative mood, as Yussuf seemed to be examining him like a piece of meat.

Harper now felt himself being turned around, and he could feel Yussuf stares on his back. "You are obviously from Earth, those look like the marks of Dragans," he simply said, before placing a hand roughly on the recent cuts that covered Harper's back that his own people had inflicted on the human.

Harper cried out, and attempted to move away from Yussuf's touch but the Nietzschean grabbed his shoulder, and his hand dug in deeper irritating the cuts, and Harper could only squirm with the pain radiating from the ubers actions.

"Now, you know you have to pay for hurting Dani, for being part of the collective that took Dani from me, understand?" Yussuf hissed.

"I didn't hurt her, I wouldn't hurt her," Harper repeated once again, his voice laced with the pain he was feeling from Yussuf's continued touch.

Yussuf spun Harper around, and he looked closely at the human, checking his expression. "You have feelings for my Dani?" Yussuf asked incredulously, obviously sensing something in Harper's manner.

"I wouldn't hurt her," Harper simply repeated without commitment.

"Interesting," Yussuf simply observed, and finally moved away from Harper, and as he did so the ship suddenly rocked from an explosion elsewhere. Yussuf immediately looked to his guards, as they received an update.

"Sir, The Andromeda Ascendant is demanding your attention," a guard relayed.

"Demanding?" Yussuf seemed almost amused, and he turned to Harper. "Give this kid a meal, and a bath, then return him to his cell," Yussuf simply said, and Harper couldn't help but show his confusion, he'd almost been looking forward to the beating he expected.

Yussuf caught Harper's confusion and smiled. "I don't want to sink the Commonwealths levels, I know how to treat my prisoners," he simply explained, as a guard dragged Harper away. "And make sure he poses no health risks to any of us," he added, with a sly smile and Harper suddenly began to struggle, knowing he was going to experience another cleansing session.

"No!" Harper protested, he didn't have the cuts before and that stuff burned like hell the first time.

"Now, now, you do not want to become diseased with those open cuts do you?" Yussuf mocked Harper. "I know what you kludges are like for inviting disease, you are all so despicable and unclean," Yussuf sneered, before Harper was finally led away.

The Nietzschean then turned on his heals, heading back to command to discuss matters with the Andromeda Ascendant.

TBC


	25. Part 25

Part 25

Dylan Hunt stood on the command deck, with his arms crossed. Either side of him at their respective consoles, Rhade and Rommie looked on. The view screen presented them with Yussuf, the tyrant that had become an unwelcome distraction, who should have remained part of a simple mission but had now overstepped the mark with his arrogant actions against the Commonwealth.

"You have two of my crew, being held against their will and we would like them back," Dylan spoke with authority.

"Did you not take one of my crew?" Yussuf simply answered, with an air to suggest a lack of concern. "You know, Captain Hunt, I think you need to look inwardly at your own actions, before you question mine."

"Yussuf, when we had Dani on board, you could have just talked to us to discuss the situation," Dylan reasoned. "We did not force Dani to come with us, and she was treated as a guest whilst aboard, and we have ship logs to confirm that," Dylan stressed.

"Captain Hunt, I have eyes, and they can see quite well, so we'll reserve judgement on that little claim," Yussuf quickly sneered and looked distracted, showing a disinterest to the captain's words.

"I can assure you that none of my crew harmed Dani," Dylan argued. "But my point is this, you decided to attack us rather than talk, so we were unable to negotiate Dani's return to you, you made the first strike, not us."

"Petty arguments will get us no where, fact is you took something that wasn't yours to take, and that is all I have done by return, we're even Dylan Hunt," Yussuf simply announced. "And I'm afraid that when I take something, I keep that something, so the kludge and the female that you claim as crew, they are now mine," he stressed his position. "It's been a bore talking to you, but we have places to be, good day, Captain Hunt."

"Wait," Dylan called out before Yussuf closed transmission. "You can not just lay claim on people like this, we will not allow you to keep members of our crew in this fashion."

"Captain Hunt," Yussuf said with agitation. "You want to negotiate, fine, let's negotiate, tell me what you can give me in return for the female?"

Dylan glanced around and with hidden amusement he stood proud. "I can give you some assurance that on the safe return on both of my crew, we will not hit you will all the Andromeda firepower we can throw at you, I'm sure your sensors knows that this ship carries an almighty punch."

To his credit, Yussuf only slightly flinched at Dylan's terms, but he quickly recovered his composure. "The Commonwealth is not welcome in this sector, and I know that a man like you, with a dream like yours would not risk alienating such a large sector of space for two simple crew mates."

"You seem to over estimate your popularity in these parts, Yussuf," Dylan declared with confidence, as he crossed his arms defiantly. "I want you to return the Maru, with both of my crew on board, and I'll give you ten minutes to respond, Dylan out," he ordered and Rommie quickly cut the connection.

Dylan frowned, as he turned to Rhade and Rommie, to catch their reactions. "This should be interesting," he simply spoke, as he prepared to wait.

* * *

Beka jumped at the sound of the cell door activating and her heart seemed to stop, Harper had yet to return and her mind had been expecting the worse. When Yussuf entered the cell minus Harper, she couldn't help but show her anger and despair.

"I am giving you a choice, and I don't do this often," Yussuf declared without any explanation for Harper's absence. "You can return now to the Andromeda, taking your ship, do you want to go?"

"What about Harper?" Beka quickly asked, her voice almost catching in her throat.

"What about him?" Yussuf showed confusion. "Do you want to return?"

"Not without Harper," Beka stressed.

"Does that mean you wish to stay?" Yussuf pushed.

Beka glared at Yussuf. "Tell me where Harper is."

"He's somewhere," Yussuf loosely gestured. "Still breathing," he added arrogantly. "So, you have an opportunity to return, what is your decision?"

"You're a sick bastard," Beka spat, wishing her hands were free of their restraints so she could at least attempt to throttle the Nietzschean tyrant.

"That's not an answer," Yussuf explained. "That's at least ten lashings, now get back to the point and answer my very simple question," Yussuf declared.

Beka closed her eyes, she wanted nothing more than to jump back into the Maru and return to the Andromeda, but could she really leave Harper behind? "Is Harper going to get the same question?"

"Yes," Yussuf simply said.

"Will you tell him my decision?" Beka questioned.

"Do I really look like the fool you seem to think I am?" Yussuf was at least honest in his reaction.

Beka took a deep breath, she knew Harper well, and she knew that if he was asked the same question, he too would assume that she would not be joining him, and he would decide to stay, to stick it out together.

"Well?" Yussuf asked with urgency. "You know, time is not something to waste."

Could she call his bluff? Could she really say yes to leaving, and then hope Harper does the same, meaning they both escape his clutches, but would he then even give Harper the choice if she did say yes? Beka was confused and felt helpless, had he already asked Harper, and had Harper already requested to leave and was he waiting for her on the Maru?

With a heavy heart, Beka knew she couldn't leave, not without knowing the full facts and if it meant she was left behind, so be it. "I want to stay," Beka decided finally, with her head down.

"Did we get that on internal cameras?" Yussuf asked.

"Loud and clear," a guard confirmed.

"Right, let's find the kludge, play him for his loyalty to his friend too and let Dylan Hunt deal with it," Yussuf said with satisfaction, leaving Beka to hate him even more for his manipulation.

"He won't accept it," Beka warned Yussuf before he left the room. "You can't just wish Dylan Hunt to go away, it doesn't work like that!" she now yelled to make sure he understood the man he was trying to outsmart, but Yussuf wasn't listening.

* * *

His office was silent now, and Dylan Hunt considered the two recordings he had just seen. Beka seemed as though she was resisting the words she spoke, and Harper, Dylan had never seen the kid looking so rough, and he remembered how he had barely recognised him with his hair so roughly cut down to his scalp.

"Yussuf is hailing us," Holo-Rommie appeared before Dylan.

Dylan closed his eyes, before composing himself and gesturing to Rommie to patch him through.

"Yussuf, you know," he began with a knowing expression. "Had my crew been in the same room, making these statements together, I might have been convinced of their wishes to stay," Dylan declared. "It's obvious that you played them off of each other, and I'm not impressed by this tactic, or the condition in which they are being kept."

Yussuf seemed taken aback. "I can assure you that your crew are being kept clean and safe on board my ship."

"Is that so? Then explain to me why do they both look as though they've been enrolled in some fight to the death program?" Dylan barked back.

"Being a part of my crew is not as soft as being a part of a Commonwealth Crew, that is all, Captain Hunt," Yussuf declared. "You heard them, they have both declared on film about their desire to stay with me, and my crew," Yussuf continued. "There will be no further discussion, Yussuf out."

The screen went blank before the Commonwealth insignia appeared in Yussuf's place. Rommie had remained in hologram form, and she now looked with care at Dylan Hunt.

"With those declarations, no matter how forced you may judge them to be, it's going to make retrieving our crew a lot harder to enforce through Commonwealth channels," Rommie informed him.

"I'm not going to use those claims as fact, Rommie," Dylan argued, as he stood up. "It's clear as day that they were forced to say those words, so in my mind they are void, and nothing has changed, he is holding two of my crew against their will and we have to get them back," Dylan stressed loudly.

"The Commonwealth may not see what you see, with the World Ship approaching they might not see this as a good time to take on a tyrant like Yussuf," Rommie reasoned.

"With the World Ship threat, I see more reason to do what we can to get our crew back, Rommie," Dylan declared. "You know we're going to need Beka and Harper right here, by our side for this fight," he stated, and then took a deep breath to calm his emotions. "We are going to bring Beka and Harper home," he simply stated before leaving his office.

"Good," Rommie simply responded, with a half smile, before she disappeared from sight.

* * *

The grated floor was a welcome sensation, as Harper found his body landing on top of it. He felt as though it was on fire, there wasn't an inch of skin that didn't burn or irritate him, as Harper took controlled breaths in an attempt to recover.

"Seamus?"

Harper focused as best he could on the voice that had spoken his name. "Dani?" he gasped.

"Shay, you're awake," Dani's voice got closer. "I thought that maybe you were unconscious, I heard your screams, I'm so sorry," Dani said in a hushed voice, full of concern.

"This isn't your fault," Harper stated between breaths, he still couldn't see Dani, only hear her, as he remained face down on the deck, with his hands still tied behind his back. "The Commonwealth decided to take something from Yussuf, and now we're paying that price, it has nothing to do with you."

Harper felt Dani's hand touch his exposed back, and the pain was unbearable. "Don't touch me!" he snapped, and noticeably tensed as Dani moved her hand quickly away, he could now just about see her from the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry," Dani offered, and her voice laced with concern, and she moved out of his vision again, but he sensed her returning to his side. "What are they doing to you? Your skin, it's burning."

"I know," Harper said with shortness, the pain alone was driving him crazy with its unrelenting hold.

"The cleansing process," Dani then figured. "Yussuf is a bit obsessed about things being clean, avoiding disease and germs, add that to his general distrust of kludges, and I guess this is his way of protecting himself from what he sees as a threat to his health."

"He sees me as a threat?" Harper had to smile, even if it went unnoticed by Dani, as Harper rested his forehead against the deck, focused on trying not to move, and to ignore the pain.

"Only in a disgusting sense, on par with say a rat," Dani had to be honest. "Look, I have to go but I wanted to tell you that they don't know," she stressed.

"Don't know what?" Harper questioned, using all his will power to concentrate on Dani's voice, and he sensed her move closer still, so she could now whisper.

"They don't know my head is fixed, they still think I don't remember," Dani revealed, and she lightly brushed what little hair Harper now had covering his sore scalp. "I liked it better before," she said as a parting shot, and Harper knew she had left him, wherever he now found himself.

Moments later Harper yelled as a jet blast of freezing cold water attacked his unprotected body, and he struggled to avoid its unrelenting barrage, unable to escape the final stage of the cleansing process.

* * *

Dylan had struggled to relay the information to Trance, and he had agonised over whether to show her the shots of both crew members that they had received, knowing she would be upset by Beka and Harper's beaten features. In the end, he decided that Trance had a right to know everything, and now she was looking back at him with anger clear in her expression.

"I trust you have a plan, Dylan," Trance spoke from the Ipcres home world, where she continued to help them to rebuild after the attacks.

"I have the motivation to form a plan, and I do not intend to let Yussuf continue to hold them against their will," Dylan said with conviction.

"I will return soon, my work here is almost done," Trance indicated. "Dylan, I must stress that Harper was not in the best of health when he left us, we have to get him away from Yussuf," she said with concern. "I would strongly advise that you test Dani's loyalty to Harper now, as part of your plan; we may find that she could be valuable to us."

"You think what they share is real?" Dylan was forced to question, his own uncertainty clouding his judgement. "Real enough, that she would help us?"

"I believe we have to try and determine if it is," Trance simply answered. "It could be the only advantage we have."

"That's not a great sign, Trance, if Dani was just using him then we have nothing," Dylan sighed.

"We have to try," Trance reiterated.

Dylan began to nod his head. "Let me know when you leave the system, you presence here is becoming more urgent."

"I will, Trance out," she declared before the transmission ended.

Looking up, Dylan knew he had to follow Trance's advice, and test Dani's loyalty, to discover which way she now truly followed, was she with Harper, or with Yussuf, although Dylan was forced to admit that he feared it was still the latter, and wondered if he could take that chance on her.

"Andromeda, put me on ship wide," Dylan ordered and heard the confirmation. "Can all senior crew members report to the meeting room, immediately," Dylan announced, for the first time he found himself calling on the crew members that were immediately below the command crew positions, but with only Rhade and Rommie representing the command crew, he was forced into using all his options.

* * *

Beka had managed to shuffle herself into the corner of the cell, the passage of time since she had last seen Harper now seemed immense and she was resigned to the possibility that she might not see him again. As much as she tried not to think about that prospect, Beka couldn't help herself.

When the cell door activated again some time later, Beka could only muster a small amount of interest, so low was her morale now. When two guards arrived semi carrying Harper, she suddenly brightened, but waited until they had left before reacting.

"Harper," Beka stressed with urgency, and began to shuffle towards his still body.

"Don't touch me," Harper simply stated.

"Why?" Beka asked with concern.

Harper didn't answer immediately. "Just don't," he requested tiredly.

As Beka moved closer she could see a reddish tint to his once pale complexion, in some areas it seemed harsher than other areas, and the cuts across his back seemed only a little better, but there were a couple of fresh marks that hadn't been there before.

"You were put through the cleansing process again?" Beka question with confusion, knowing it had only been a few hours since they had both been through it the first time. Harper simply nodded his head, facing away from her, and seemingly battling with his own thoughts and emotions.

Beka took a moment to take in the sight, to fully understand what Harper was experiencing, he was wearing only a pair of loose fitting pants, his upper torso and his feet were exposed and showed off the true extent to the abuse he was receiving, there didn't seem to be an area untouched by the sores, or by cuts and bruises.

"Still with me?" Beka asked.

"Yeah," Harper simply responded. "Were you offered a chance off this ship too?"

"Yeah, they would have to drag me off this ship if you weren't by my side," Beka confirmed.

"You should have gone, I can handle this," Harper spoke without emotion, still facing away from her.

"I'm not leaving you behind," Beka stressed strongly. "If anyone should have gone, it's you, Harper you don't have to act the freaking hero."

"That's hardly my plan, Beka," he stated softly, and Harper finally moved with pain onto his side, and he looked at Beka through tired looking eyes, and it was clear that he was in some discomfort. "We stick together," he confirmed finally. "Did you bake me a cake?" he asked, his expression changing to a frown.

"I did, the ubers took it away," Beka played along.

"Bastards," Harper simply responded. "I like what you've done with the place while I've been away," he then continued the idle pointless chat.

"I was going for the ubers in space look," Beka now had to grin, wondering if this was some strange survival tactic that Harper had used in the past, he seemed familiar with the notion of talking crap, more so than usual.

"You did well, I'd almost believe we were on some uber scum slime of a ship," Harper said, his voice littered with bitterness and anger.

"That's the spirit," Beka simply declared, knowing Harper was still with her and was not allowing the situation to defeat him, and it gave her some hope.

The cell door slowly opened again, and Yussuf now strolled in, and Beka couldn't help her fury. "You sick bastard, do you get your kicks by doing this to people, hurting them like this?" she gestured with anger, ignoring the flash of anger Harper now threw her.

"I'm saving his life, keeping him clean, surely you understand how easy it is for kludges to get themselves ill?" Yussuf declared his innocence.

"Maybe if you didn't make them bleed, they wouldn't be at risk to infection," Beka said with bitterness.

Yussuf considered her words, before he glanced round to one of his guards. "You know, I don't think I like this one," he decided. "Maybe we should send her back to annoy Dylan Hunt instead of me?"

"It can be easily arranged, she has her own transport and we've disabled the weapon capabilities," the guard confirmed.

"Arrange it, I don't need to hear her whining all the time," Yussuf declared.

"Wait," Beka spoke up. "I'm not going anywhere, you can't force me!"

Yussuf showed his obvious amusement as Beka caught her own words. "That's the thing, I can, you are here at my whim and you can go on that same whim, and I would suggest for your own health that you think carefully about the tone in which you chose to speak to me."

"Please, I don't want to go," Beka now changed tact, Yussuf was gaining a little of her respect, but only a little.

"Even if it means a cleansing session that you will be due, having come into contact with that mess of a being?" Yussuf asked gesturing to Harper.

Beka hesitated, and Harper took the opportunity to speak. "Let her go, she won't quit complaining trust me," he stated.

"Harper!" Beka protested with shock.

"Then it's decided, you leave, and you take your poor excuse for a ship with you," Yussuf declared. "Let's hope my goodwill gesture in returning you will lessen the blow to the Commonwealth of me obtaining the services of his kludge for my pride."

Harper threw Yussuf a confused look, and glanced with concern to Beka, who now seemed ready for a fight, regardless of her restrained condition.

"We won't let you simply take him, we won't rest until he is returned to the Andromeda," Beka spat with fury and conviction.

"Then we should have some interesting times ahead," Yussuf declared and promptly left the room. "I'm looking forward to some piece and quiet around here too," he sniped in the distance.

"Beka," Harper spoke up once they were alone.

"Right now, Seamus, I'm this close to killing you myself," Beka snapped angrily. "What the hell happened to 'we're in this together'?" she demanded. "First chance you get, you chummy up to Yussuf and get rid of me?" she snapped.

"You can help me more without the restraints, with the Maru and the Andromeda behind you," Harper explained with care. "With you gone, I just have to focus on me, and they won't use us against each other again, don't you see that he's a master manipulator?" Harper questioned, he wanted Beka to see what he saw. "Just don't leave me here too long," he requested softly.

Beka's mood immediately softened. "You know I won't stop until your back in that machine shop messing about with some junk," Beka confirmed. "But I don't like leaving you here, not with him and what they are doing to you."

"Its nothing I haven't been through before," Harper dismissed, all too easily. "You've seen the layout of this ship, you know more about Yussuf than you did before, so use it to defeat him and bring me home," he reasoned.

Beka nodded her head, Harper was right, she had the opportunity to make Yussuf regret the day he dismissed her as nothing more than annoying, he'll find out first hand just how annoying she can be, the moment she is out of his control, he would see.

"Beka, when you leave on the Maru, don't be an easy target," Harper advised, as he moved to rest on his knees.

"I expect him to try and pick me off, so don't worry, I won't make it possible for him," Beka assured him. "And if he tries to convince you otherwise, don't believe your eyes, ok?"

Harper nodded his head. "Whatever happens, we had fun, right?"

"Always, and we'll have more fun soon," Beka grinned, with a sadness behind it, as guards arrived to take her away.

Yussuf stood by the airlock, and Beka stopped, closing her eyes briefly not believing that she was leaving Harper behind.

"Put her on board," Yussuf declared.

Beka felt her body being pushed through the airlock, and opened her eyes to see the full situation. "This isn't the Maru!" Beka demanded, and began to struggle.

"Tell me, Valentine, do I now have a tattoo on my forehead that reads 'I am really stupid'?" Yussuf asked, and before she could respond, he back handed her across the jaw. "You are being sent away; let's call you my security in case your kludge friend decides to play up."

"What do you have planned for him?" Beka had to know, she had to ask.

"Don't you worry about your friend, just hope that he doesn't cross me," Yussuf declared and Beka was pushed the rest of the way into the transport ship, and the air lock shut behind her, as she truly left Harper behind, knowing that the help he was hoping she would supply, would not be coming.

TBC


	26. Part 26

Part 26

Rhade checked the weapons array one final time before he looked across to Dylan Hunt, who was stood at his usual station on the command deck.

"Weapons online, and ready to go, sir," Rhade confirmed.

"Thank you, Rhade," Dylan spoke up, as he surveyed his plans.

"Dylan," Trance now reacted, having only recently returned to the ship, and she was now observing the sensors. "There's movement, Yussuf's ships are breaking off."

"Rommie, move us forward," Dylan ordered. "Prepare weapons, target all of Yussuf ships, await my orders," he stressed. "Andromeda, open communication and get me Yussuf."

Andromeda complied and moments later they received the image of Yussuf on their view screen.

"Yes?" Yussuf said with a tired air.

"We have unfinished business, and I now have all of the Andromeda's weapons trained on your ships, are you willing to negotiate yet?" Dylan asked, not appreciating Yussuf's dismissive air.

"Captain, I fail to see what there is to negotiate," Yussuf declared.

"The return of Seamus Harper and Beka Valentine," Dylan returned with defiance.

Yussuf was already shaking his head. "They work for me now, deal with it, captain," he stated arrogantly. "Now I have to leave, so if you must fire, then fire, it makes no difference."

The communication was cut and almost immediately a slip stream event occurred and a fleet of Yussuf's fighters entered the system, and they all headed towards the Andromeda.

"Trance, keep track of Yussuf's ships," Dylan barked. "Rhade, take out those fighters, and don't hang around," he ordered briskly, as he scanned his own console. "Fire when ready, Andromeda, keep us within range of Yussuf's ships."

"Dylan," Andromeda's voice sounded. "Ten more ships have just entered the system."

"We can't take them all out, and keep track of Yussuf," Trance indicated. "They are forming a shield between them and us."

The ship shook suddenly as the smaller ships began their attack, the hits were minor but enough of a distraction that allowed Yussuf to quickly slipstream away before the Andromeda could stop them. Rhade felt overwhelmed by his orders; there simple were too many ships in too many various positions for him to take them all out efficiently. As soon as the slip point closed the smaller ships reformed and as quickly as they had arrived, they slip streamed away, having lost only a few of their number.

"Should we follow?" Trance asked.

"No point," Dylan conceded. "Yussuf is a master of distraction, if we follow them we'll only end up further away from our target, because he fully expects us to follow his fleet thinking they'll lead us to him, but he's not going to score another hit against us."

"So, now what?" Rhade asked, feeling as though he had failed the captain, he hadn't been able to destroy the ships that had stood in their way.

"Dylan," Trance now spoke up with confusion. "The Maru, it's been left behind to drift, no life signs on board."

"Andromeda, bring it in," Dylan said with a sigh. "Trance, work with Rommie to try and determine where Yussuf may have gone," he tiredly ordered. "Rhade, you should go and rest, you have done more than enough already, take some time out."

"Sir," Rhade accepted. "And I'm sorry," he added.

"Rhade, you did well," Dylan insisted, and saw Rhade was about to protest until Dylan lifted his hand to gesture silence. "You did well, thank you."

Rhade simply nodded his head, trying to look convinced before he left command to follow his new orders, and get some deserved rest.

* * *

She hated planets, and the sun was burning her skin already as she walked, or more appropriately marched along the dusty ground, either side of her a Nietzschean ensured she didn't slack. Beka Valentine's hands were still tied, she was not on the Maru, and she was not back on the Andromeda, leaving her to feel like such a fool to have believed anything that uber scum had said.

Up ahead she saw wire fencing, and by the signs on display it was electrified, whilst she considered this new information she was walked towards it until they reached the tall gate, and she was quickly pushed into the enclosure. Beka glanced around, there were a further two gates to walk through, with a further two parameter fences, making scaling the fences from this place three times the job.

With a sigh, Beka began to fear that she wouldn't be seeing the outside of this place anytime soon. They reached the main part inside of the three fences, and she saw basic structures before her, some brick but mostly shanty tents, and realised the sheer size of the place, seeing it stretch for what seemed like miles before her. She was marched to a white one level brick building and pushed inside.

"Time for your cleansing, we don't want you to infect your fellow prisoners," one of the Nietzscheans informed her, and behind Beka she heard the sounds of a shower starting up.

Beka felt her body being pushed towards the water, and seconds later what clothing she wore was roughly removed, whilst her hands remained in their restraints. Like before the water burned at her skin, but this time it felt a lot worse as the acid laced water continued to engulf her, aggravating her cuts. She had been under for a lot longer than the first time, and she imagined that it was for this reason that Harper's skin had been damaged by the exposure, as she saw her own skin gaining a reddish complexion.

Strangely she began to get use to the sensation, and the guards used this time to pull her free from the water, leaving her to shiver slightly, and feel the full irritating effect of the burning sensations and become completely aware of her state of undress in front of these strangers, her captors. To her relief however, she was soon put under another shower head, and this time she was covered in freezing cold water, that once the shock of the transition passed, she relished the soothing effect it had on her skin.

As her ordeal came to an end Beka felt herself being moved to another room, and a female greeted her. Glancing around Beka noticed some medical supplied and was surprised when the female began to gently tend to her wounded back. Not a word was said as Beka stood naked in a room where her two Nietzschean guards looked on, and a nurse slowly went about her business. After she had cleaned the wounds, the nurse proceeded to dress Beka in identical clothes to before, and it seemed she was finally ready to be moved to another location.

To her surprise, as Beka was marched through the camp she noticed that people were not restrained, they moved about freely and although they all wore the same clothes, they seemed to have some degree of freedom. Beka was then taken into another building, and she was marched up to an elderly lady, her weathered face seemed a welcome sight to Beka, although she didn't quite understand why.

"Gretna, this is the prisoner you were told about, she's new, make sure she knows the deal, and keep her under control," the uber pushed Beka forward towards Gretna, and then Beka felt the other guard take her wrists and release her from the restraints.

"Don't go making life hard for Gretna, she's special to us, and this camp is just fine as it is right now, trouble makers are not appreciated," the second uber guard warned Beka, before moving away, leaving Beka to take in her new surroundings.

"Beka Valentine, welcome to my home, I hope you enjoy your life here," Gretna greeted pleasantly.

"Where am I?" Beka asked.

"This camp is known as Yussuf's security camp," Gretna carefully explained. "None of us have necessarily done anything wrong, but we are here because someone close to us has crossed Yussuf, and our purpose is simply to act as security that those same people do not cross him again."

"Everybody here is innocent?" Beka questioned angrily.

"We are treated well, and we consider ourselves to be lucky, we want for nothing and Yussuf asks nothing more of us other than our very presence here to encourage our friends or family to work for him," Gretna explained, making it sound very normal.

"I'm here to ensure Harper works for Yussuf," Beka realised, and then showed confusion. "But that makes no sense," she considered, "Harper thinks I was given back."

"And my son, Matthew, he thinks I was taken home safely," Gretna smiled, her older features showing a fondness for her son. "And I've had any trouble since I've been here, so he's obviously being loyal to Yussuf now, but if that ever changed," she hinted.

"Then you would be wheeled out as a reminder for Matthew to return to the straight and narrow," Beka realised. "He has no idea that you weren't returned, so his loyalty to Yussuf remains semi-genuine."

"Dear, my advice to you is to settle down and don't expect to leave this place anything soon, if ever," Gretna said with care, her hand gently touching Beka's arm.

"The person I am acting as security for, he's not the kind of person to buckle down and stay out of trouble," Beka stated with conviction.

"Then I fear for you and your friend," Gretna simply said. "But for now, how would you like me to cook you some dinner?"

Beka couldn't shake the surreal feeling she felt, suddenly feeling as though she was trapped in some twisted holo-novel, the ones that had been warped in transport. "Ok," she simply accepted, and seated herself at the table, to watch Gretna prepare her some home cooked food.

* * *

Harper had been dreaming, but his rude awakening had made him quickly forget where he had been, instead he was harshly reminded of where he was. Strong hands pulled him to his feet, and began to drag him out of the cell and down the corridor to a familiar place.

"No more cleansing, please," Harper began to panic, and he struggled in the uber's hold, as he attempted to escape.

"Now, now, kludge," Yussuf's voice sounded, and Harper glanced over to see Yussuf stood to one side. "I think you have been cleansed enough for one day, although I know what your kind are like," he noted and then looked at the uber who held Harper. "Bring him here."

Harper was shoved forward and Yussuf had to steady the engineer, stopping Harper from falling forward as his restrained hands struggled to help him balance for a moment.

"Now, I need to test that port of yours," Yussuf declared and before Harper could protest, he screamed out as Yussuf forced a jack into his data port.

Immediately Harper's eyes rolled as his senses adjusted to the violation, and inwardly Harper seethed at the lack of care Yussuf had taken. Didn't the thick skulled Nietzschean realise that he had to mentally prepare his mind to jack in, Harper angrily thought, and when it was forced like this, it only served to creative too much initial resistance, and Harper already felt the beginning of a headache in reaction.

"Kludge?" Yussuf checked, seeing the distress caused to Harper.

"Just give me a little warning next time," Harper said, his eyes still shut and speaking through clenched teeth, finally he composed himself enough to open his eyes again, and reach out to the connection he now had.

"I'm used to stronger beings having these things, I forget how weak your kind are," Yussuf attempted to explain dismissively.

Harper could now fully feel the connector inside of him, and he knew that it was taking data from him, finding out about his make of port and its capabilities and limitations.

"Interesting, and not a bad model, you surprise me, kludge," Yussuf was forced to admit. "No wonder you appear weaker than most, with this thing stuck inside of you, it must weaken you greatly."

"Not enough for me to notice," Harper returned.

"Your upbringing did the most damage I understand," Yussuf stated.

"What are you, my freaking councillor suddenly?" Harper snapped, and then felt a sharp jolt of pain across his back, as another strike left its mark, Harper had forgotten about the uber guard stood behind him.

Managing this time not to scream out, Harper tensed for a moment and took some deep breaths to counter act the sharp burning pain he felt across his back, only helping to make the pressure he felt in his head feel a lot worse. As Harper recovered, Yussuf just as roughly removed the jack from Harper's port, and with only a slight jerk of his head, Harper managed not to react, being too preoccupied now with his other pains.

"He's fine, and it works perfectly," Yussuf declared. "But before I make my final decision about him, I want to make sure he is able to use the thing properly."

Harper felt a new set of smaller hands grab his head, they felt softer, and a more calmer touch so he risked a glance, only to be met by a sight that brightened him, as Dani briefly smiled at him, before hiding it again, as she focused on inserting another jack into his port, this time with more care than Yussuf had shown.

"I want you to access the mainframe, and unlock that door," Yussuf instructed, gesturing to a heavy door across from them.

Harper was in two minds, he didn't want to help Yussuf, and he didn't appreciate being used like a new toy, but seeing Dani had reminded him that he was not alone, even with Beka gone he still had someone he cared about onboard, and with Dani also helping Yussuf, he didn't want to make trouble for her.

Closing his eyes, Harper felt the immense security surrounding around him in the ships mainframe, and the only option available to him was the ability to unlock the door. However, they had put a rudimental lock on his access, one that needed a little bit of brain, and a little bit of 'on the job' experience, both of which he had in abundance.

Within seconds the door swished open, and Yussuf turned to Harper with satisfaction. "Perfect, we may yet find a use for you, kludge," Yussuf declared.

Harper looked uneasily at Yussuf, before looking at Dani and seeing the bruises on her face made his blood boil momentarily, unfortunately he never realised he was staring until Yussuf grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him, and he then couldn't help but notice that Yussuf was now stood almost on top of him.

"Admiring your handy work kludge?" Yussuf demanded.

"He didn't do this to me," Dani spoke up.

"He was a part of the Commonwealth, and it was them who did that to you, Dani, he was Commonwealth and that can not be denied," Yussuf argued, still holding Harper's chin, his hand then moved to the jack still inserted in Harper's port and he yanked it out with force, and this time Harper did yell out as the pain sharply jarred his senses, doubling him up almost but Yussuf's hold stopped him falling to his knees.

"Have you considered my request?" Dani then asked, her voice cold and spoken with a tone Harper hadn't heard before.

"I have," Yussuf indicated, as he pushed Harper away, leaving the human to stagger briefly to reclaim his balance. "I have given it some thought, and I have decided that on this occasion your suggestion is one that I feel is fitting."

Yussuf clicked his hands and Harper felt a new presence behind him, a hand rested on his bare shoulder, and Harper's breathing became panicked. He vaguely heard the words 'relax' before he felt a piercing sensation attack the skin on his back, between his shoulder blade and back bone. Trying to squirm his way away from the pain, Harper tensed up once more, and his face contorted with pain until finally the pain radically reclined, and he was pushed to the floor face down. Harper loosely felt the restraints being removed from his wrists, and finally he was pulled back to his feet.

"As you requested, my beautiful Dani," Yussuf's hand gently caressed Dani, with Harper stood right beside her but biting his lip to stop reacting to it. "The kludge is now assigned to you, make sure he suffers, my sweet," Yussuf declared. "And keep him under control, you know what to do if he in anyway disobeys you, he's all yours," Yussuf stated, and Harper soon found himself alone with Dani, and finally free of restraints.

"What just happened," Harper asked with heavy breaths.

"You were chipped," Dani explained without fuss. "You are now officially Yussuf's, you have an identifying chip in your back, if you run, if you try and hide, he'll always find you now."

"Great," Harper frowned.

"Hey, it's going to be ok, you're in my care now," Dani whispered with assurance. "Let's get you back to my quarters, you look terrible, and you're lucky I'm trained in medicine, I managed to work out what Trance put in my meds, and I've reduced the formula to levels your body will tolerate, it should help you in the short term."

"So, you are medically trained," Harper realised.

"Did you guess somehow?" Dani questioned.

Harper shrugged as she encouraged him to start moving. "You healed my arm, after the shock, didn't you?"

"No one else had seen the burn, and it looked painful," Dani admitted.

"What else did you do whilst you had the opportunity?" Harper asked with suspicion.

"I may have checked some of your medical records, found out a few things that considering how things have panned out, it's a good job I did, wouldn't you say?" Dani protested.

"Yussuf thinks I hurt you," Harper said with hesitation, changing the subject.

"He also thinks your vermin and a tool to simply open doors," Dani offered. "He doesn't know you like I know you, and isn't it my thoughts that count round here?"

"What am I going to have to do now, that I am assigned to you?" Harper tentatively asked.

"In that weird way that the Devine sometimes works, Shay, you're now my slave," Dani answered, and she already saw the dismay in the eyes of Harper, as if she had just told him he only had thirty seconds to live, and when he didn't speak, she feared that she was losing him.

"Shay, I promise, you'll be a slave in name only, not in actions, I'm still onside and I still want my freedom, with your help," Dani stressed.

"With my help," Harper sneered. "Well now you have that whether I like it or not, my master," he sniped.

"Please Shay don't do this," Dani requested. "What else did you want me to do? Keep you in Yussuf's clutches, in that cell, with the forced cleansing sessions and I dread to think what else he had planned for you."

Harper didn't answer and they arrived in Dani's quarters without word, and Harper was taken aback by the sheer size of her living space, she had rooms within her quarters, all with luxury furnishings.

"I told you I wasn't exactly a slave, do you believe me now?" Dani could tell he was surprised by her living arrangements. "And you won't be either, this is 'our' home now, at least till we arrive back at Yussuf's base planet side."

Harper was only mildly alleviated of his concerns, he was still going to be seen as a slave and this whole ordeal was really starting to get to him, he had always promised himself that he'd never be so weak minded as to become a slave, to anybody. Unable to look at Dani he simply allowed her to guide him to the counter, where he sat down, and at that moment he lost the desire to speak to her, or respond to anything she was now telling him, lost in his own nightmare and situation, he just wanted it to end, in one way or another. He could not be a slave, it went against everything he believed in, and it wasn't an option to him, no matter how it was dressed up.

Harper let his head drop, and he felt as though everything he had worked for in life, had amounted to nothing.

TBC


	27. Part 27

Part 27

The command deck was quiet as Trance and Rommie focused on their work, they occasionally glanced up, but their exchanged glances offered nothing new. Trance had a growing feeling of unease inside her, and she couldn't explain it, and didn't know if it was just a general concern for her missing friends, or something deeper within trying to show her a way, a means to find her friends.

"I have something," Rommie suddenly announced, and Trance hurried over to her console. "I have found traces of one of Yussuf's ships, it entered slipstream through a different portal, but has left enough of a trail and we should be able to track it."

Trance looked cautious. "Should we assume this is genuine, and not a trick by Yussuf?"

Rommie immediately shook her head. "The complaint is a common one in older ships, and almost undetectable by today's standards and it is no longer the threat to a ships systems that it once was," Rommie offered. "However, with me being of let's say advanced years, I still have the capabilities to detect this occurrence, when in the past it was an advantage to be able to detect this problem early on and catch it, before it became a threat."

"Well I'd say it's an advantage today also," Trance assured her. "I'll let Dylan know that we have found something."

* * *

Dani hated the silence, and as she looked at Seamus, she hated it even more. It had been over an hour since she had brought him to her quarters and he had barely spoken a word, he wasn't hungry and didn't want anything, and she knew that he did and it was frustrating for her to see him like this. Since he had come on board, Dani knew he had hardly eaten, at least nothing substantial, and she could see the painful marks that covered him, and after Yussuf had abused his port, Dani wasn't stupid, she knew he must still be feeling the effects of that, but here he was cutting her out.

With her frustrations now at maximum, Dani moved to Harper and stood directly in front of him, demanding his attention.

"What was I suppose to do?" Dani finally asked. "I thought I was helping you, Shay, I thought you wanted the cleansing sessions and the imprisonment to end," she protested. "I thought you'd appreciate that I didn't forget about you, and it would have been easy enough for me to do that, but I didn't," Dani stressed, but still she was met by a blank expression, and she put her hands on his bare shoulders.

"Don't touch me!" Harper snapped, and he jerked her hold away from him, and jumped down from the stool he'd been sat on.

Dani immediately offered a non aggressive gesture with her hands, and she couldn't understand why this was so hard for Harper to understand, that she was trying to help him.

There was a silence in the room now, and the tension was high between them, and nothing was said, as they both seemed to try and understand the other one.

Harper moved further away from Dani with anger clear in his movements, after her touch had aggravated the tender sores that covered his torso. Couldn't she see the marks on his skin, he wondered with anger still burning inside of him. Nothing Dani could say to him right now could make a difference to the despair he felt inside, and his mind repeated like a mantra constantly reminding him of the words he feared most in his life, 'you are a slave now'.

Dani was speaking again, pleading almost for him to say something, but to Harper it sounding like unintelligible noise, an irritant, and he just wanted to be left alone, and he didn't want to face his future, not like this.

"So you're just going to give up, as easy as that?"

Harper found that he heard those words clearly, and he could suddenly hear the hurt in Dani's voice now. It was his Dani, who just the day before, he had wanted nothing more than to be in her complete company, with her full attention. Feeling aware now of his surroundings, as if waking up to the reality, Harper didn't want to hear Dani sounding like she was, this wasn't her fault, as much as it wasn't his, but he was still uncertain about everything that had developed.

"I'm not giving up," Harper responded finally, his mood only softening slightly, he didn't want to purposely hurt Dani but at the same time, he still couldn't believe that she didn't understand why he was reacting like this.

Dani moved closer, obviously encouraged by the fact he was responding finally, and Harper now looked into her eyes and saw how desperate she was for his attention.

"Shay, please, I didn't do this out of spite or to degrade you, I promise," Dani pleaded, and she gently took his hands, now careful not to aggravate his injuries.

Harper looked at his hands in Dani's hold, and seemed more aware of what Dani was feeling now. "I know that, and I don't think that," he explained with care, his words and delivery slightly awkward.

"Then what are you thinking, Shay?" Dani asked with confusion.

Harper closed his eyes, taking a needed breath to try and think of the best way to explain. "I can't be this," he gestured to himself, moving his hands from her hold. "I can't be a slave, Dani," he admitted and he looked troubled suddenly, and his hands now nervously fidgeted.

"You have to try," Dani insisted. "Shay, it'll be in name only I promise, but can't you see this is the only way that we can work together, to help ourselves and to regain freedom? The minute we are out of Yussuf's hands, everything will change back to how it was."

"What about this chip?" Harper questioned to his shoulder, and he could almost feel the alien technology inside of him. "I know how it goes, you can't just get rid of them and even when you do the damage is already done, it marks you for life with no chance of any surgery hiding the truth, Dani so it'll always be there," he stressed with growing anger. "I've seen good men, women, even children go crazy just by what this chip represents, even after finding freedom, and even after it's removed, its still there, the evidence is there for all to see, don't' you get that?" he stated firmly and with conviction.

Dani took a moment before responding. "Is it really so bad, that you would prefer death to survival?" Dani questioned strongly. "Are you that shallow that a simple mark, and that's all it is, Shay, that's all it is, but this makes you ready to give up on the chance for freedom?"

The silence from Harper confirmed Dani's worst fears and she moved away, so as not to show her reaction to this. With her back now to him, Dani continued to speak. "OK, so yeah in some situations, in the coming days you will have to act the slave, Shay, I admit that and I don't envy you that task, I've been there, I know what it's like, but I thought," she paused. "I thought what we had was worth that, I thought you actually gave a damn about me and that maybe we had something worth fighting for but it seems you were just playing me for a fool, a nice bit of stuff perhaps, what was I?" Dani now turned to face him with burning anger in her eyes now. "Was I just a nice distraction for you, couldn't believe your luck, eh?" she accused him. "Some stupid slave girl throws herself at you and you act all surprised, claim that you have issues to make me work harder for your affections, then you go all genuine about sharing those feelings, but you're just like any other, right?" she questioned. "You saw an opportunity, and you took it, and then what, thanks, now get out of my sight because you disgust me?"

"No!" Harper returned angrily. "This isn't about you, Dani, not everything is about you," he argued, but inside her anger and words were affecting him on a personal level and he softened his voice. "Dani, this isn't about us, either," he concluded, and he found a seat and collapsed into it.

"Then what is it about?" Dani asked.

Harper closed his eyes, clearly tormented by what he was feeling. "It's about," he attempted to speak, but words struggled to follow. "I don't want to be a slave," he finally spoke. "I haven't wanted much from life, not really, but the one constant has always been that I'd never be a puppet or a slave to no one."

"And you're not, Shay," Dani stressed with frustration, and she moved closer to him and sat on the floor by his chair. "Shay, what can I say to make you understand that?" Dani asked, desperate to help Harper to understand, she hated seeing him like this, and because of something she had done.

"I get your plan," Harper returned sharply. "Just play along, and things will be fine, right?" he stated with some bitterness. "I can't do that," his voice was raised, and his tone changed sharply, as he stared at Dani.

Dani began to nod her head, remaining calm to Harper's outburst. "OK," she simply said and got to her feet again. "Shay, I hate to say this but you're wrong, and this isn't about what you want, and this isn't just about you," Dani stated with determination now. "It's all about us, and what we need to do, and right now whether you like it or not, we need to do this, we both need to do this," she stressed eagerly.

"Do what?" Harper asked tiredly, seeming to rapidly be losing interest.

"Shay, how else are we going to win Yussuf's trust so that at some point in the future he'll send us both away on a mission, and one that we'll have no intention of returning from?" Dani questioned but Harper didn't respond. "I need you to do this, and I'm sorry that you have had no choice in the matter, but that's just how things are so you either play along, or you'll find that you truly are a fricking slave at my beck and call, Seamus, so it's your call."

Harper looked up at Dani with sudden confusion. "You'd force me to be your slave?"

"Too damn straight I would," Dani returned with anger and passion behind her voice. "I want my freedom and it's your fault that I feel this way, so you're going to help me, and quite frankly you not exactly in a position to keep protesting," Dani answered honestly, and then sighed on seeing the still hurt expression in Seamus's eyes. "Don't make me force you to help me, Shay, that's all I ask of you right now."

"Dani," Harper now spoke with confusion, as he sat forward, he was shaking his head, as he struggled to find the words. "Do you even hear what you're asking of me? Have you forgotten everything I have told you, what I was like when we first met?"

"I know, I know," Dani sighed, stepping back for a moment. "And I'm not exactly ecstatic about making your worst nightmare come true, but tell me the alternative, tell me what were you planning to do?" Dani asked with a final act of desperation.

Harper looked away, and shrugged a little, there was a long silence before he finally spoke. "Wait for the Andromeda to rescue me?" he offered awkwardly.

"And is that how you survived Earth?" Dani questioned, almost mocking him. "You were willing to let Yussuf continue beating you, killing you slowly, in the hope the Andromeda will sweep in and save the day?"

"Maybe blow a few things up?" Harper then added quietly, realising he had given it very little thought, so content now to rely on the Andromeda and her crew for his survival now, had he really grown so soft since leaving Earth that he was happy to leave it to others to save his life?

"This isn't the Andromeda," Dani began with care. "Things are different here, different rules and ways of doing things, and you better start thinking like a kludge, or you're not going to survive much longer," Dani stressed with a hard edge to her voice. "This is my playing field now, I know the rules and I know the game, so are you with me, kludge?" Dani asked, and she knew that Harper hated her referring to him by that word and it showed in his expression as he sat back again. "Shay, please listen to me, you have to get over this and just as you tried to show me how evil Yussuf was, when I wouldn't listen, you now have to listen to me when I say that I know what I'm doing, even if it means this," Dani gestured to him.

With reluctance, Harper finally looked at Dani. "So what do I have to do?"

Dani showed her relief to Harper's words and she offered him a smile by return. "We have to convince Yussuf that we're the real deal; and that you are assisting me, and we have to make sure that everyone around here, the hangers on and the cohorts also believe it."

"What does that involve exactly or is my imagination good enough?" Harper asked quietly, still disliking the notion but feeling he had little say in the matter.

"Well," Dani moved closer to him, and she knelt in front of him. "You have to be seen to act on my every whim," she smiled suggestively.

Harper tried not to look at Dani but his gaze kept returning to her smile. "Don't," he simply stated.

"Don't what?" Dani asked innocently, but with a wicked smile.

"Don't enjoy this so much, don't make it seem so," Harper hesitated, as if battling his true nature. "So appealing," he finally responded, but his frown soon succumbed to a brief smile. "And I'm still not liking this," he added in his own defence, but Dani's smile continued to taunt him. "Stop looking at me like that when I'm trying to be mad at you," Harper protested lightly.

"I need some attention," Dani spoke as she continued to grin, and being careful to avoid contact with Harper's upper body, she moved forward to kiss him. "I hope you're not sore here," she asked before making contact.

The touch felt like heaven after so much pain and Harper soon found himself responding to her advance. After a few moments, Dani moved away and looked at him. "Now we've sorted that out, I want to treat your injuries, as my assistant it's in my best interest that you are comfortable and fit."

Harper took her hand as she offered him assistance to stand up, and she walked him towards a back room. "This is your room, sorry for the lack of soft furnishings, but there's a bed, a couch, a table and simple accessories, including some basic clothing," Dani guided quickly, gesturing around the small and somewhat dark room. "You are expected to sleep and eat in here, note the 'expected'," she hinted. "But you must wear the clothes."

"Uniform you mean," Harper corrected her, as he moved over to the clothes and checked them out.

"Seamus," Dani began to protest, feeling he was having second thoughts about his acceptance.

"No, its ok, it's cool, least its clothes," Harper conceded with a heavy sigh, and put them back on the dresser. "Anything else I should know?"

"You have to ensure I eat at least three times a day, that I have assistance whilst I dress and bathe, real tough work," Dani couldn't help but smile. "And whilst I move around outside of this room, you have to be by my side and ready to do anything required of you, simple stuff really," Dani offered.

"It's not that simple, not for me, not at all," Harper returned, his voice lacking emotion and he avoided her glance, as she looked over to him. "You have forgotten to mention the obligatory beatings, the handing over of all your self respect, and free thought, to act like nothing more than a stupid slave," he stated abruptly, close to losing it again as the full weight of the situation hit him again.

"We will have to work out a way to make this believable, Shay," Dani stated gravely. "If we don't then we are both in big trouble," Dani opened a cupboard and retrieved her medical supplies. "Let's begin by making you more comfortable, so lie face down on the couch, let's clean and tend to those cuts on your back."

Harper didn't say a word as he moved to the couch and complied with his orders, and with a sinking feeling he knew he'd have to get use to it, and decided to at least try and accept it, knowing deep down that Dani was right, that this was the best plan for their survival but he still didn't have to like it, as he clung tightly to any form of free thought on his part.

* * *

Beka cursed once more as she caught her hand again, and she put her injured finger to her mouth for a second before resuming her task. Before her she had a dismantled kitchen appliance, and various other pieces of junk that she was trying to make something out of.

"Beka," Gretna's voice sounded from the doorway. "Are you trying to get me shot?"

Beka looked up and then sighed, the old lady was rapidly growing on her but she did have an annoying habit of playing the guilt card.

"I can't just sit around doing nothing," Beka explained.

"There are jobs you can do, you only have to ask," Gretna told her, and had repeatedly told her since Beka had arrived.

"I don't want those jobs," Beka lightly argued.

"Why are you making my life so difficult?" Gretna innocently asked, but still managed to quickly clean the door handle, before she turned and walked away.

"Gretna, wait," Beka got to her feet and followed the older lady. "I'm not doing this to spite you, I'm doing this because I have to," Beka explained. "If I don't and I find myself a nice job in this camp, then I'm accepting my situation and I'm not ready to do that yet."

Gretna looked closely at Beka, and there was a fondness in her eyes as she looked at Beka with care. "Follow me," she simply said.

"Where are we going?" Beka asked, as the old lady grabbed her shawl and moved to the door of her home.

"Just follow," Gretna simply said, and Beka had no choice but to follow her.

They stepped out into the sunshine, and Beka glanced around at the fellow residents of the camp, as they went about their business. If it wasn't for the fences that Beka knew existed, this could be any thriving community on any planet that she may have visited in her lifetime. The presence of their captors was almost non-existent if you stayed away from the parameter.

Gretna continued to walk briskly through the streets of the camp, and Beka hated the feeling she was getting that this place could be her home for a long while. She was already missing the stars, and the feeling of a space ship beneath her feet, everything around her was too natural, and too contaminated by nature for her liking, give her artificial environments any day of the week.

The older lady continued to walk until they reached a brick building, and without stopping Gretna stepped inside, with Beka following closely behind her. Beka quickly recognised the establishment as some kind of bar, a quiet bar, and there was no music or entertainment other than the drink, but it was definitely a meeting place of sorts for the community to join and share alcoholic beverages. Beka was a little surprised to find it here, but then she had realised early on that the people here treated this camp as a town, their home, and so it wasn't all that odd when she considered it.

Beka was gestured to wait by Gretna, and she saw the old lady disappear towards the back of the establishment. Looking around, Beka took the time to scan the patrons, and she couldn't help but feel the almost jovial vibe that surrounded her. All of these people were prisoners, but they didn't act as though they were here against their will. They looked like any community she had come across in her travels, and they appeared to be making the best of what they had, there were friendships that she could see, laughter and chat surrounding her. Beka hated it, she hated what she was seeing, acceptance of Yussuf's will, it was by his will that these people were here, separated from their families and their real homes, but they were accepting this, and it made her sick.

"Beka," Gretna's voice broke through her thoughts, and Beka turned and saw the older lady gesturing for her to follow. The blonde captain walked through the bar, following Gretna until they reached a booth. "This is Colin, you may find it of interest to speak to him about your interests," Gretna simply said, and to Beka's surprise the older lady left them.

"Beka Valentine?" Colin stood up and offered his hand.

"Colin," Beka returned, as she accepted his greeting with a hand shake, and she took the seat opposite him.

"So, tell me about yourself," Colin requested.

"I'm paranoid, tell me about yourself," Beka stated sharply.

Colin gave her a wry smile. "OK, well that's a good start, but I can't tell you, I have to show you."

"If that's a pick up line, you should be warned that I've been known to kill for less," Beka responded.

"I can see why Gretna has passed you onto me," Colin simply responded, and then stood up. "Do you want to see what I'm offering, or do you want to continue to cause Gretna concern?"

Beka didn't speak and instead stood up to show her answer, and she proceeded to follow Colin through the bar and they walked outside. Walking alongside the new acquaintance, Beka glanced at him a couple of times to try and get an idea of what he could be, and why Gretna had passed her onto this guy. He looked nice enough, reminded her of the sort of people she used to associate with, with hints of confidence that Bobby use to display, and mixed with the arrogance and tone of her brother Rafe. There was something else, and Beka couldn't help but notice the cut of Colin's jacket, especially around the lower arms and she had to say something.

"You're a Nietzschean," Beka observed.

"Well spotted, usually it takes a while longer before people guess," Colin returned.

"I've had some experience around Nietzscheans, so how come you're here?" Beka asked.

"Same reason you are, I'm here for security," Colin stated in a low voice.

Beka observed him as they continued to walk, and she sensed for the first time since arriving a certain level of resentment from someone other than her. "Can I ask who you are security for?"

"Once I know you a little better, and once I trust you," Colin simply responded, and then stopped, gesturing to a doorway. "We're here, so do you still want to know about me?"

"That depends," Beka answered. "Do you hate this place as much as I do?"

"Yes," Colin returned without having to think about it.

"Then I'm interested in learning more about you," Beka confirmed and stepped inside, with Colin following.

* * *

An hour could make all the difference and now Dani looked at Seamus Harper with an amused smile, he had his eyes closed and was looking every bit at peace and in comfort, as he wallowed in her sunken bath tub, allowing the medically treated water to soothe his damaged skin.

"Hey," Dani spoke up. "You can't stay in there all day," she stated with a smile.

"Is that an order or an observation?" Harper asked; his eyes remained closed, holding onto the relaxed state he was currently in.

"It's a fact, the treatment loses its effectiveness the longer you remain in there," Dani pointed out, and she threw him a fresh towel.

Reluctantly Harper removed himself from the long soak, and had to admit that he felt rejuvenated, and his skin didn't feel nearly as tender as it had been.

"How are you feeling now?" Dani asked, as Harper grabbed another towel to dry himself.

Harper looked a little sheepish. "Better, thanks," he offered quietly. "Sorry I flew off the handle at you earlier, it threw me, a lot," he shrugged.

"I understand, don't worry," Dani returned briskly. "Let's now dress those cuts on your back."

"No," Harper objected, as he finished drying.

"Shay," Dani was about to protest but he cut her off.

"I heard Yussuf, I heard him tell you that he wants me to suffer," Harper returned gravely. "And I know what we have to do now, and I will force myself to accept it, so we have to start playing the game, to claim back freedom," Harper said with care. "I'm ready, whatever lies ahead now, I don't care," he stressed.

"Shay, you're scaring me a little now," Dani admitted, sensing he had gone from one extreme to the other now, and she was unsure of his mental state as she looked at him.

"Think about it," Harper moved closer to Dani, and his hands brushed gently along her arms. "I'm your slave now," he spoke slowly, and paused for a moment as he seemingly accepted his role. "I can't be treated like an equal anymore, and you will mark me, and you don't cover those marks up," he stated gravely. "I'm your trophy now, a sign of your power, I belong to Yussuf's Pride, I'm your property," he continued, his voice lacking emotion as he spoke.

"Don't, please, Shay," Dani looked down, as his hands continued to run up and down her arms with affection, but his words were making everything too real for her now, and she began to fully understand her own actions, and what they meant to Harper.

"Yussuf will not want to see me all patched up and having a great time," Harper stated softly now, and his hand moved to her chin, lifting her face up, and he then leaned forward and kissed her. "I have to admit, Dani, I've never known a girl like you, have never felt like this about anyone before, but if this is love, man, no wonder I've had so much trouble with it all my life," he now grinned, his face lightly brushing Dani's cheek.

"Can I touch you now?" Dani asked with some amusement, at that moment all thoughts of her actions vanished under Seamus's gaze.

"Only one way to find out," Harper hinted by return, and was answered by Dani reaching forward and embracing him tightly.

"I wish there could be another way," Dani said, as she leaned into his shoulder.

"Oh, I don't know," Harper brightened slightly, as he relished holding Dani so close once again, forgetting his own troubles and seeking comfort where he could. "There's one kind of slave that I don't mind being," he began, and he made himself clearer by kissing her again.

Dani pulled away with a smile. "I don't think they have that kind of slave in Yussuf's pride, certainly not of the male variety," Dani pointed out.

"I could be the first?" Harper offered with a cheeky grin, pleasing Dani more than anything to see him genuinely smiling again.

"Hate to kill the mood, but we can't stay cooped up in here all day or Yussuf will get suspicious," Dani frowned. "Are you ready for your first test?"

"No," Harper admitted, as the reality hit him once again.

"Get dressed and get ready, because it's dinner in ten minutes," Dani observed with sudden urgency.

"Oh what do you think we'll be having?" Harper mocked.

"I hope you're joking," Dani smiled with sadness. "But little tip, when you clear up my plates, and return them to the kitchen, ask for Charlie and say I sent you, he'll make sure you get a good shout on the scraps."

"Great," Harper frowned, and moved to his room.

"Shay," Dani called him before he disappeared into his room. "Don't hide anything from me, ok? Don't be proud, I want to help you through this, you have a friend in me, and I just want you to know that, ok?"

Harper just nodded his head, before he entered his room to get ready, and Dani couldn't help but fear for the both of them, with so much that could go wrong with their plan.

TBC


	28. Part 28

Part 28

Harper had never run straight into a brick wall before, at least from memory he never recalled doing so, but he was currently feeling like that was exactly what he had done. Standing behind Dani, as she tucked into some overly rich food, Harper had never felt so insecure, so humiliated, and so shamed in all of his life.

Harper however still thanked the divine for small mercies, as he focused on the floor of the mess deck, at least none of his family had lived to see this day, and he then remembered back to the horrific moment when both his mother and father were cut down before him, and for what? For his freedom, to protect him, and save him for this, from slavery and the shame overpowered his feelings once again.

Feeling a nudge, Harper suddenly became aware of Charlie, the slave that stood beside him.

"Take her plate," Charlie prompted, Harper then realised that Dani had finished her main course, and that he had been told about the five second rule, that all finished plates must leave the table promptly, and within five seconds of finishing.

It was bad enough having a slave tell him what to do, even worse to know he was relying on that slave to ensure he survived the night without making too many mistakes.

No one had seemed to notice that it had taken him a little while longer to collect Dani's plate, as he quickly scooped it off the table, and he purposely ignored Dani as he took it away towards the galley.

"Hey, slave," a voice bellowed, as Harper dumped the plate in the sink, where another slave was assigned washing duty.

Harper turned towards the uber, knowing it was him that they were calling and he bit his lip not to return a sarcastic comment.

"Refill my glass, kludge," the uber now ordered.

Harper walked over to the uber's table, all the while his mind buzzed with what he'd like to refill the glass with, but he had to resist his more natural inclinations. Then as he reached for the glass, the uber suddenly grabbed Harper's wrist, and held his hand down firmly against the table top. It took all of Harper's will power not to react to the move, and he remembered Charlie's advice, 'humour them, that's our main job' he had said, after Dani had introduced him to Charlie, and had asked Charlie to show him the ropes.

The table was silent to the ubers actions, and Harper remained calm. There had been an awkward pause, as if the uber was awaiting the room's attention before proceeding with whatever he had planned. Harper noticed that the head table, where Dani and Yussuf were sat, had finally noticed that something was happening, and Harper could see Dani's concern as he glanced over.

"You're new here," the uber finally spoke, and Harper simply nodded in agreement, knowing that to talk was forbidden. The uber now stood up, and pushed Harper back as he walked forward, he grabbed hold of Harper and positioned him in the middle of the room and Harper could feel that all eyes were on him now.

"You're not exactly blessed in many departments are you?" the uber sneered as he roughly looked Harper over. "Too small, too slight, too pale," he listed, as he continued to poke and prod the human, like a piece of meat. The uber then glanced at the data port but quickly dismissed it, to Harper's surprise, remembering Yussuf's interest.

"Hit me," the uber instructed.

Harper looked at the uber, trying not to show confusion but only succeeding in doing so, and he made no attempt to follow orders.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" the uber demanded loudly. "I said hit me," The uber sneered. "You don't honestly think you can hurt me, do you?" he goaded.

Harper nervously looked at Charlie, who simply nodded his head to signify that he should comply with the uber's instruction. With a slight hesitation, Harper drew his fist back, then briefly closed his eyes, remembering his shame, remembering how his parents had died in front of him, feeding on that anger, he drew his hand back in a fist and lashed out at the uber before him, cleanly connecting with the uber's jaw.

The pain was immense in his knuckles, and Harper quickly held his hand, wondering briefly if the ubers jaw was made of lead. To his credit though, the uber's head had moved swiftly to the right on impact, and he had managed to at least move the uber, but it wasn't enough to do much more then leave a light bruise, if he was lucky.

The uber brought his hand up to his chin and rubbed it for a moment, looking upon Harper with a strange glint in his eye. "You make up for your weaknesses with an inner rage, you surprise me," the uber finally spoke.

Harper felt uneasy suddenly, still unsure why the uber had asked for him to hit him. The uber then grabbed Harper's shoulders and spun him around, so Harper was now stood in front of him and facing the people in the room.

"I'll take the new one," the uber then declared, and Harper noticed Dani stand and she looked as thought she was going to speak, but she stopped and remained silent. "So, who challenges?" Malik then asked loudly.

Yussuf got to his feet, with a beaming smile. "Let the after dinner entertainment begin," he declared with joy. "Jacob," he snapped his fingers to a well built slave who stood by the door. "You will challenge Malik."

"I accept the challenge," the uber holding Harper announced, and Harper guessed his uber was called Malik, and that he was in big trouble as he eyed the other slave taking position opposite him.

Suddenly the room became alive with activity, as ubers around them found a place to sit, and soon Harper found that he was in the middle of a makeshift circle, all around him were ubers either sitting or standing, and still opposite him stood fellow slave, Jacob.

"Best of three rounds," Malik announced and urged Harper forward, before he found his own place to observe from.

It all become clear to Harper now, that this was some sort of sick entertainment for the ubers, he was expected to fight Jacob, but he wasn't sure to what end. With controlled breaths, Harper observed Jacob and saw intense concentration staring back at him, clearly Jacob fancied his chances. There was no way out, Harper couldn't run and he couldn't hide.

"Let's get this started," Yussuf declared, and the room came alive with cheers and jeers from the gathered crowd.

Around him, Harper could hear the sounds of the tables being cleared, and wished he had that task, rather than this, the guy facing him look as though he was at least five hundred pounds heavier now, and built like a tank, a tank that could penetrate even the most stubborn of buildings. Harper wasn't even convinced the guy was a slave, he didn't seem like he needed to take any crap from anyone, he could easily hold his own and the feeling that he had been set up began to creep into his subconscious.

Jacob was now moving forward with haste, and Harper stayed on his toes, keeping his movements light. Clenching his fists, Harper prepared for the worst, and his eyes never left the stare of Jacob, as they sized each other up.

Suddenly Jacob moved forward, leading with a fist but Harper easily dodged the first attempt, and to Jacob's obvious surprise Harper managed to land a punch to Jacobs stomach. The larger man winced slightly and Harper kicked at the back of Jacob's knee, causing the slave to stagger. Gaining in confidence Harper continued his attack, having managed to manoeuvre behind Jacob, and he now landed punches to Jacob's ribs and side.

Over confidence however led to Harper being blindsided by a reverse attack, as Jacob brought his hand back, and spun around, catching Harper squarely across the head, and sent him stumbling to the ground. As Harper recovered his senses, he felt himself being lifted up and although he kicked out at Jacob, he felt himself hit the ground again with force, winding him slightly.

His old instinct kicked in, and Harper used his legs to lash out at the larger man, making contact the Jacob's shins. The connection was sweet, and enough to cause the huge guys to momentarily stop, allowing Harper to jump back to his feet and use both hands, locked together, to hit Jacob hard just at the top of his back. Jacob fell forward, losing his senses for the moment, and Harper tripped the larger man, pushing him as well for good measure and watched with satisfaction as Jacob landed on the floor.

"Five seconds down," Malik declared. "My slave wins the first round," the uber declared with joy and Harper couldn't help the brief smile that crossed his face, and he fought to recover his breath. Around him there were some cheers, and a few jeers, and then Harper noticed the money being exchanged between ubers.

Harper took the opportunity to recover his breath, but he was already breathing heavily, and he knew he had another two rounds yet. Doubt began to flood his conscious, as Malik declared the second round to be underway and before Harper could react to the announcement, Jacob had already lashed out at him, catching him squarely across the jaw. Falling to the floor, Harper rolled on impact, but Jacob had the upper hand, and he felt himself being lifted up. Unsure of what happened next, Harper remembered only the floor rushing towards him and the weight of something large crashing down painfully on his back, then his head being pulled up, and soon after a total black out, as unconsciousness took him painfully when his head crashed back down against the hard floor.

* * *

Dylan took a moment to adjust to normal space as the Andromeda exited slip stream, and he glanced around at Rhade, who was shutting down the drive before he looked at Rommie.

"Where are we?" Dylan asked.

"We're in a sector of space known as the Gallent Region, nearby we have the planet Oracle, and this planet is a known supporter of our friend, Yussuf," Rommie said a touch too brightly.

"Let me guess, our trail ends here?" Dylan sighed.

"It does, the south side of the planet is where the trail actually ends," Rommie informed him.

"I have completed a rudimentary scan, I am detecting a large settlement in that area, but I am also detecting defence shields, similar to a prison facility," Trance spoke up with concern, she then paused. "I am picking up a weak homing signal, and it seems to be Beka's," she then added with some hope.

"Any sign of Harper?" Dylan asked.

"None," Trance responded. "Not even a flicker, but that could mean many things, the area is dense with electronic fields, he could be in an area where his signal is cancelled out."

"Or," Dylan stated. "He might not be on that planet at all, there are two of Yussuf's ships that we still haven't accounted for, so it's quite possible that they split Harper and Beka up," he reasoned. "Any sign of Yussuf?"

"I can't detect any, but that doesn't mean he isn't here," Trance admitted.

Dylan took a deep breath. "I want confirmation on what you believe is Beka's life signs, we will then begin planning her safe return to this ship," Dylan stressed.

"Dylan," Rhade spoke up. "If that is a prison facility on the planet, then that won't be easy."

"Who said it would be?" Dylan said tiredly.

"Further scans reveal three parameter fences, Dylan," Trance spoke up, as he console flashed up more details.

"This is definitely not going to be easy," Dylan frowned.

Rhade glanced over to Dylan. "Do you think we might find out information about the other two ships down there?"

Dylan didn't appear confident. "Probably not, we know that Yussuf keeps a very tight ship as it is, so why would a prison facility need to know his movements?" Dylan glanced around the ship. "This could be another distraction, we can't be sure," he then offered, and turned to Rhade. "Rhade, I want you to take the Maru, and I want you to head back to Yussuf's base, the planet where you first picked up Dani," Dylan ordered. "I need to know if one, he is there, and two, if Harper is there, I suspect that if there is information available, that would be a good place to start."

"Sir," Rhade accepted his orders, but it was clear he had wanted to stay to help Beka, if she was indeed on the planet before them.

"I'll take Rommie down to the planet, don't worry, we will bring Beka home," Dylan further confirmed and Rhade nodded his head, before leaving the command deck to follow his orders.

* * *

The room was dark and musty, and it was obvious that the sunlight hadn't graced this room for a long while. Beka Valentine walked slowly around, and took in the occupants, all of whom ignored her whilst she observed them. They were in deep discussion, pouring over pieces of paper laid out on the table before them. Colin moved beside Beka, and he glanced at her reaction before speaking.

"Soon," Colin announced, to get Beka's attention. "Soon Yussuf will be toppled, and a new leader will take control."

Beka raised her eyebrows to the declaration. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Word reaches us that there are actions already in place for this to happen, and it's not a dream, it's not a maybe, its going to happen," Colin stated assuredly.

"Ok," Beka accepted, and crossed her arms. "Just don't try and convince me that it's going to be you and your friends that will overthrow Yussuf," Beka half smiled.

Colin grinned in reaction, to Beka's relief. "Not us, no," he continued to smile. "But we are preparing, the moment Yussuf loses control, this camp will be liberated, and we're talking days now, not years," Colin stressed. "These people, most of them have forgotten themselves, they do not know outside of this camp, so we are preparing."

"Preparing for what exactly?" Beka had to ask.

"To help them, to make them understand what has happened, and that Yussuf is no longer the boss," Colin explained.

Beka considered the information. "These people, they don't seem to want change, they seem content with life as it is."

"And that is why we're here," Colin gestured to his crew. "We are loyal to the uprising, but we understand that contentment is our biggest enemy," he said with passion.

"So you plan to dictate how these people should be thinking?" Beka tried to understand.

"Not dictate," Colin corrected. "Guide, we will guide these people to understand what is happening around them, the changes that will take place."

"And who exactly are you to do this, to take on this position?" Beka asked.

"We are people who are sick of what we have been forced to accept," Colin responded.

"I can relate to that," Beka agreed. "And I've only been here a day."

"So, I've shown you a bit about myself, what is your story?" Colin asked once again. "Maybe you can tell me whilst I treat you to dinner?"

Beka stared at the people still going over the papers, before she looked at Colin. "I'd like that," Beka finally confirmed, and if these people were not crazy, she realised that they could be her only remaining hope inside the camp.

* * *

Yussuf watched with some satisfaction as they carried the kludge from the room, but he also couldn't help but notice Dani moving to follow. He waited a moment to check that she was in fact going after the kludge, before he called after her.

"Dani, you will remain here," Yussuf declared. "I wish to talk to you," he gestured to a side room.

Dani stopped and immediately turned to him, and although she may have looked like she had wanted to protest, she didn't, and duly followed Yussuf into the side room.

"You are too weak," Yussuf declared.

"Sir?" Dani checked unsure.

"Your slave," Yussuf declared. "He shows no promise, he is not an ideal candidate, and I seriously think that I need to review my original decision," he stated abruptly.

Dani moved forward. "Give it time, please, that's all I ask."

"Why?" Yussuf asked calmly.

Dani considered the question with care. "Because it would make me happy," she stated.

"You know that's all I want," Yussuf agreed, and he moved closer to Dani, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "But you deserve better, you deserve a slave who can follow orders, who you can be proud off."

"I am as new to this as my slave is," Dani explained. "Please let me learn the ropes of my position by breaking this slave."

"You know I took a great risk in giving you a more notable position in my pride," Yussuf explained. "I do not want to become a laughing stock, and tonight your slave, and your lack of attention in preparing him, well it was almost enough that I nearly demanded you leave the table."

"I'm sorry that I caused you such embarrassment," Dani lowered her head.

Yussuf lifted her chin, so she would look at him. "You are not my slave any longer, and you are the first slave I have come across who has risen to a position of power within a pride, and I know that is with thanks to me," Yussuf stressed. "I have done so much for you, so much, Dani, and when you were taken, it made me realise how important you are to me," he stated with care, as he stared into her eyes.

"I understand, sir," Dani accepted, although she wasn't sure how to really react to his words.

"I know you will have problems with the adjustment, to go from being a kludge, to my personal slave, and now to having a position of power within my pride," Yussuf gestured. "It is why I allowed you to take this kludge as a slave because I realised it would be a personal thing, being your first slave, and I saw what his people did to you, and maybe that was why I was a little shocked to see you hadn't done the same to him, as your slave he should expect it, and you shouldn't disappoint, but you did, Dani, you disappointed me," Yussuf explained now with his voice growing colder. "I now wonder how personal things are between you."

"I don't understand," Dani said, a little concerned now but trying to not let it show.

"Dani, you best start treating him like a slave, or you will make me the biggest laughing stock that there has ever been, do you understand me? Never before has a slave been promoted, enough to have their own slave," Yussuf's voice now rose. "You failed to punish him for leaving your plate unattended, and you took no action with Malik claimed your slave as his, for the fight, Dani, you must start to take your new role seriously or you will find yourself being a simple slave once again."

"Sir," Dani simply said.

Suddenly her head snapped to the side as Yussuf struck her hard across the cheek, drawing blood with the impact. "Damn it, Dani!" he yelled with anger. "You are supposed to a part of the Yussuf pride now, and you are referring to me as if you were a slave?" he questioned harshly. "You insult me, Dani; I have given you more than I ever should have. I have made you 'a somebody' in this pride and this is how you repay me?"

"I will try harder," Dani explained uneasily.

"And try harder you will!" He raged. "I don't think you realise the position you are putting me in Dani, the fact you were so easily taken by the Commonwealth was bad enough, but this as well?" Yussuf exclaimed. "When you asked for the kludge as your choice of slave, I was ecstatic, I thought that maybe you were taking your promotion seriously, but now, let's just say thin ice, Dani."

"I have taken this chance seriously," Dani now pleaded, and she held Yussuf's arms now. "Yussuf," Dani spoke his name with a cautious air. "I appreciate everything you have done, and continue to do, but I'm not like you, and haven't you always said my best quality was my ability to befriend even the most hostile creature?" she hinted.

"Go on," Yussuf encouraged, a little brighter now and wondering what Dani had up her sleeve.

"My slave, his name is Shay," Dani explained. "When I first met him on board that ship he treated me like crap," she offered with disgust, and now paced before Yussuf. "He called me names, treated me badly, and I was just a dirty scummy slave in his eyes, but I won him over, and won him over enough that now," she looked at Yussuf and took a deep breath. "Now he can't get enough of me and look at what I have done to him, he's now my slave, a stupid scummy slave," Dani stressed. "I do things my way, Yussuf, and I'm only sorry that it's not your way."

Yussuf stared at Dani and for the first time since she had returned he saw 'his' Dani staring back at him. "You truly have outsmarted yourself this time, that is positively evil, and this is why I love you so."

"I learnt from the best," Dani smiled, returning his feelings with a brief kiss on the cheek.

"So are you telling me that this kludge, this thing, this vile creature, that he may have feelings for you?" Yussuf asked with interest. Dani shrugged, and didn't answer. "Well, maybe I will discover this myself; I may get a few of my people to test this kludge's reactions."

"Please don't take him away from me," Dani quickly returned. "He's the perfect slave for me, haven't I convinced you of this yet?" Dani asked, almost pleading.

"Oh you've convinced me," Yussuf returned. "In fact, it all seems so deliciously perfect, that I wonder how I could have thought otherwise."

"Then why talk of taking him from me?" Dani asked with confusion.

"You are leaving soon to take on your next mission, and you will travel alone as it's only a small mission, one day maximum, and you leave in five hours," Yussuf explained.

"So soon?" Dani questioned, taken aback by the suddenness.

Yussuf simply nodded his head. "I need you to report to Malik, he has the information you will require and then you will sleep."

Dani looked at Yussuf, he was still unaware that she no longer had her supposed brain injury, and still believed that anything he told her would be forgotten for a time after some sleep. She wasn't going to tell him otherwise, and she nodded her head towards Yussuf. "I understand," she accepted and left the room.

When she returned to her quarters, Dani saw that she had a different temporary slave awaiting her, he appeared well trained, and she was reminded of Harper's earlier incident, figuring he was still in the infirmary. She hurried to her room, knowing that she could not go and check on Harper, at least not unless she wanted Yussuf on her case again. Dani locked the door immediately, and once she was convinced that she had total privacy, she couldn't hold her emotions any longer as the tears fell.

"What have I done?" she stressed to herself, clutching her pillow as she cried.

TBC


	29. Part 29

Part 29

The sun was unrelenting, and Dylan was glad that he was dressed for the harsh terrain. He glanced at Rommie, noting how cool she looked, and envied her android features that allowed her to remain unaffected by conditions on the planet.

"The prison is straight ahead from here," Rommie gestured, and then looked over to a small settlement containing a few ramshackle buildings, one of which appeared to be a bar of some sort. "Maybe the locals could provide us with more information on the camp?" she suggested.

"I was thinking the same, this is definitely a Yussuf stronghold, so we might not get an accurate picture but there's no harm in asking," Dylan agreed and they made their way over to the wooden building.

On entering all talk stopped, as the locals took in the two strangers, and with suspicion. Dylan was more than use to the reaction and with Rommie; they took it in their stride as they approached the bar and ordered two drinks. Still the locals stared at them, before the bar tender finally spoke.

"We don't get many visitors, what is your business here?" the man asked, a portly gentleman with wild white hair.

Dylan glanced at Rommie before speaking. "We are passing through this sector, needed to pick up some supplies, so what is this place?" he calmly asked. "And is that some sort of prison to the south? We don't want to walk anywhere where we're not supposed to, you know?" he spoke, adding a touch of ignorance to his tone.

"You would do well to avoid that area altogether, unless you want to cross Yussuf," he answered and then looked at them closely. "You don't want to cross Yussuf do you?" the bar keep asked suspiciously.

Dylan narrowed his eyes to the question; it seemed more of a hint than a question with the tone that the man had used. "Why do you ask?" Dylan had to respond.

"We're just hearing rumblings, like you do," the portly man answered. "I think something is going to happen soon, and the likes of you seem to be showing up a lot lately, something is going to happen, right?"

"Not that we know of," Dylan admitted. "But you say more like us?" he questioned with interest.

"Renegades, trouble makers, seen a few pass this way over the past week," the bar keep stated.

"I thought you said you didn't get many visitors," Rommie now spoke up.

The bar keeper eyed Rommie with suspicion now. "We don't, not usually, but something is going down," he repeated once more. "And those that have passed through have all asked about the prison, like you did," he added.

"Tell us about the prison," Rommie now leaned on the bar.

The bar keeper looked uncomfortable, as he tried not to look at Rommie, but obviously enjoying the view she displayed, and in his distraction he began to talk. "Its high security, we understand that it's just that, a security prison, folk inside, they have done little wrong but be associated with those who have wronged," he explained awkwardly. "Yussuf, he calls them his security, to ensure others work for him, by keeping loved ones locked up in that prison, as security," he stammered the explanation.

Dylan nodded towards Rommie, they had heard enough and they gave the bar keep more money than the drinks were worth, before leaving the bar and their drinks untouched.

"That could explain why only Beka is in the camp," Dylan spoke first as they walked away from the bar.

"You think that Yussuf is making Harper work for him, and has Beka as security to ensure that he does?" Rommie figured.

"It seems logical, and could also mean that Yussuf is unaware of how much Dani means to Harper," he shrugged.

"Or maybe Yussuf's feelings for Dani makes it a non-issue," Rommie countered.

"They said the people inside the camp have done nothing wrong except be associated with those who are involved with Yussuf, how many people are we talking about here?" Dylan asked.

"Over fifteen hundred people live inside the camp," Rommie answered.

"This has to stop," Dylan now seethed. "Innocent people can not be held like this, so how has Yussuf got away with this for so long?" he stressed.

"Because he's been allowed to, there has been no authority that has been able to stop him," Rommie replied.

"This," Dylan gestured. "Is why we can not fail in rebuilding the Commonwealth, whatever it takes," he said with determination, as they continued to walk in a southerly direction.

* * *

Rhade had evaded the planetary sensors once again, and the Maru had landed in a location where it wouldn't be found unless someone specifically looked for it. He had been walking for nearly two hours, and finally his destination was in sight, the city where Yussuf's operations were based.

The Maru sensors had detected that Yussuf had only arrived back an hour or so before he had landed, and the two ships that had escaped the Andromeda were now in dock, with all personnel on them now transferred to Yussuf's palace in the hills that overlooked the city. Rhade glanced over to them, seeing them clearly and knowing it would take a lot of skill to infiltrate that fortress.

The first part of his mission was complete, he had confirmed a visual on Yussuf, and had sent it back to the Andromeda before landing the Maru. Now, he had to get a confirmed sighting on Harper, and maybe Dani, he wasn't entirely sure how important the latter would be, he would have to make that call if the time came.

Yussuf's ships had reported that they held no prisoners, which didn't bode well for Rhade's investigations. There were no other ships however than Harper could have been on, unless he was back at the camp that Dylan and Rommie were currently investigating. However, Rhade conceded that they might be a number of reasons why Harper's name had not been registered. One, it was Yussuf's ships, and if anyone could ignore protocol on issuing paperwork then the known tyrant of the system was a fair bet in being able to do that, and two, maybe Harper wasn't a prisoner, and the thoughts that supported that made Rhade's stomach churn.

Rhade knew that he was yet to fully understand and appreciate the annoying human who was a part of the Andromeda crew. He respected the kids skills, who couldn't, the guy had single handily kept both the Andromeda and Maru functioning, and was able to pull off a number of ridiculous stunts to ensure the ships continued running. It was the person he had trouble with, so far, the Nietzschean had only succeeded in sharing the guys jokes, and trying to understand his humour, sometimes rising to the baits with a few remarks of his own and he would admit that he enjoyed the banter, Harper rarely knew when to shut up and the exchanges would often become very silly, not something, as a Nietzschean, Rhade was able to participate in often, but with Harper he didn't seem to care who he bantered with so long as he came out with the funniest comebacks and usually, Rhade conceded, he did.

Rhade now scanned the market square, remembering how this whole mess had all started here and he was careful to stay out of sight. He was wearing clothes that fitted in with his surroundings, and were different to his normal attire and a hat came down, covering the majority of his face. Rhade knew he had to locate someone who worked with Yussuf, and he also knew that that in itself didn't guarantee information, and he hated to admire Yussuf for his ability to keep things close, but it made seeking information all the more harder.

"Hey, mister," a voice caught Rhade's attention; it wasn't aimed at him, but a burly man that had been walking ahead of him. "Ever considered the fight program?"

"Get out of my face, do I look like I need that crap?" the burly man huffed and walked away.

The kid that had asked the question saw Rhade had noticed the exchange and took it as showing interest. "What about you?"

"I'm new in town, what is it?" Rhade asked and the kid gestured to the Nietzschean to follow him to a quieter part of the street.

"The fight program, it's basically about entertainment," the kid explained. "Yussuf, he loves to see hand to hand combat, real hard stuff, and no protection just back to basics fight to the death if it comes to that," he stressed. "As you can imagine, we go through our fair share of fighters, so we're always looking for new challengers, any creed, race or background, no questions asked, you just fight for your life, provide some entertainment and if you win, you are rewarded."

Rhade considered the information. "Does Yussuf attend these fights?"

"Every single one, and he brings his own fighters sometimes, he has enough flunkies around him to pick and chose opponents on slow nights, but he always ensures a fight happens," the kid stated firmly.

Rhade frowned, knowing it would be a good way in and he fancied his chances against any opponent. He knew he would almost probably be recognised for his efforts, but felt it was a worthwhile risk, seeing no other way to get close to Yussuf or finding out his plans, maybe if Yussuf was a betting man, he could appeal to that side of Yussuf's nature?

"Sign me up, sounds like fun," Rhade finally agreed, and planted his thumb print on the pad the kid quickly produced.

"Be back here for seven, there's a fight night tonight and you'll be on the bill," The kid smiled. "How should we promote you?"

Rhade thought about the question, and decided he had nothing to hide. "Just call me Rhade," he answered, at least if it did go all wrong, the Andromeda crew would have some reference to his whereabouts.

* * *

Dani needed to leave her room now, having arrived back a few hours earlier at the palace where she had reacquainted herself with her even grander quarters. She had realised that she was achieving nothing by worrying about things that hadn't happened yet or fearing what might be, but on walking towards the exit she was surprised to see her temporary slave still on duty.

"Isn't Shay, I mean my slave back yet?" Dani asked, and the slave simply shook his head. "William, Will, it's me Dani, remember me? You can talk to me, so tell me what's going on."

Will offered a brief smile, glad for her words. "We miss you Dani, why did you take that promotion, you're one of us, not one of them," he stated.

"Tell me what you know about Seamus Harper," Dani spoke dismissively.

"I was just told to be here until further notice, I know nothing about any Harper," Will shrugged. "I was told that as soon as someone else turned up, I'd be relieved but no one has come back yet, so I guess I stay here till they do," Will offered. "What happened to your slave?"

"He got into a fight at dinner, was taken to the infirmary on the ship," Dani explained. "But it's been over three hours now, how bad could he be?" Dani asked with concern. Will couldn't answer and just shrugged by return. "I need to go and see Malik," Dani simply gestured and Will moved ahead of her to open the door.

"It's an honour to serve you Dani, even though you're one of us, you're something we can aspire to now," Will gushed as he eagerly gestured her through the open doorway.

Dani simply smiled, knowing that she was the exception, a unique commodity. It was only because Yussuf loved her that she was in this position, and if it wasn't for the fact her lineage was that of a kludge, Dani knew that she'd be much more in his life, and she was grateful for her background preventing such a scenario. As it was, this was the most Yussuf could offer her and it took some getting use to, but she appreciated it just the same.

"Dani," Will whispered, knowing it wasn't right for him to talk but he felt comfortable in the knowledge that Dani wouldn't beat him. "This isn't the quickest route to Malik's office," he pointed out.

"I know," Dani answered. "I need to check medical first, see that Shay is ok."

"Shay, that's your slave, right?" Will checked. "He's the new guy, the one who ate the knuckle sandwich at dinner?" He added with realisation to make sure.

"Yes," Dani responded. "I'm one of you at heart remember, so I need to know that he's ok, it's my fault he found himself in that fight, I could have stopped it but I didn't, I forgot who I was and the power I had and now he's badly hurt because of me," Dani explained with worry clear in her voice.

"You care about him?" Will realised.

"Of course I do," Dani partly snapped. "Why shouldn't I, just because he's a slave?" she questioned.

"No," Will quickly back tracked. "It's just, well, we all get dragged into that fight thing at some point, yourself included, it's just the way it goes," he offered bluntly. "Why are you so cut up about what happened to the new blood?"

Dani didn't respond immediately, Will was right to be confused by her reactions, and she knew she was probably showing too much concern for there not to be questions asked. "I just didn't warn him, ok?" Dani offered as an explanation.

"Ah," Will said, to indicate that it made more sense now. "So, you feel you didn't prepare him for the crap his life is now?"

"Something like that," Dani agreed with a sigh.

"I don't like him," Will then announced, as they continued to walk.

"Why not?" Dani asked. "And don't you think you should get to know him first, before making such a sweeping statement?" she argued.

"He seems to be a liability, I hate liabilities, always ends up with everyone being punished for his mistakes," Will offered. "And I don't know, I got the impression at dinner that he doesn't think he's one of us, I bet he's one of those," he hinted.

Dani had to bite her tongue, that was exactly what she had called him after they had first met, and she knew for a fact that he was 'one of those', a kludge who hated slaves, and she was concerned now, a kid like Will had detected this already in Seamus, if he had, how many others had also sensed it? Suddenly what had seemed a good plan at the time had rapidly become a nightmare.

Reaching the medical area, Dani stepped inside and glanced around. The first thing she noticed was the empty cots.

"Where's my slave?" Dani questioned.

"Earth kludge, data port?" the doctor responded, and Dani nodded her head. "He's been discharged already."

"To who?" Dani demanded. "He's my slave."

"Yussuf took him and I wasn't going to argue," the doctor stressed, and returned to his work.

Dani found that she was breathing quicker now as her brain figured out the new information. Why had Yussuf taken Harper, and where had they gone?

"We should go and see Malik," Will suggested, seeing Dani distracted by what she had heard.

"Yeah," Dani answered, although the last thing she wanted to do now was leave the palace to go on a stupid mission, she wanted to find out what Yussuf was up to. Was this a test; was she to demand her slave back? Any other Nietzschean on board would react like that to their slave being taken by another without word.

Dani looked at Will. "I need to see Yussuf first, you don't have to come with me," she stated, knowing that most slaves didn't enjoy the prospect of being in Yussuf's company.

"I'll be ok, I won't let you go in alone," Will stated. "We stick together."

"I'm not one of you now, I'll be ok," Dani assured him but Will made it clear that he was not going to leave.

Dani reached Yussuf's offices and took a deep breath as she stepped inside, and she immediately saw Yussuf sat on one of the plush couches that he loved so much.

"Dani, Malik has informed me that you have so far failed to show up for your information," Yussuf declared.

"Where is my slave?" Dani immediately demanded.

"You have one stood right by your side, Dani," Yussuf arrogantly answered, gesturing to Will.

"You know that he is not my assigned slave," Dani argued.

Yussuf got to his feet, and appeared amused by the exchange. "Oh you mean the kludge that you're training?" he said knowingly.

"Where is he?" Dani demanded. "I'm assuming you took him to test me?"

"In part, yes," Yussuf agreed. "And on this occasion you haven't failed me, but your kludge is not here."

"Well, where is he?" Dani asked, losing patience.

"On a mission, we needed a key so I thought I'd give him a try," Yussuf offered calmly.

"On a mission?" Dani questioned. "He's my slave, Yussuf, what am I suppose to do?"

"You won't miss him, he'll be back by the time you are, now run along and get on with your own mission," Yussuf arrogantly gestured, leaving Dani little choice but to comply.

"He better be back before me," Dani stated, and didn't wait for Yussuf's reaction as she quickly left the room.

Behind her Yussuf simply smiled, it had pleased him that Dani had been brave enough to confront him about her slave, he had grown concerned by her state of mind in her new position on board, but she seemed to be accepting it more now. He walked to the far door and entered the room, and he saw the sleeping form of the kludge she had wanted to see. Roughly, Yussuf pulled him upright and forced his eyelids up, confirming that the kludge was still unconscious.

Picking Harper up now, Yussuf carried him over his shoulder and stepped onto his private docking bay. Gesturing to one of his guards, he handed Harper without care over to him.

"Put him in a cell onboard, and secure him," Yussuf ordered. "When he wakes I want him cleansed and his wounds treated, and then prepare him for the mission."

"Sir," the guard returned.

"We have to be quick on this one, I don't want to miss tonight's entertainment," Yussuf declared, as he walked onto his ship.

"Sir," another man saluted the Nietzschean leader.

"Is Johnson on board?" Yussuf asked.

"He is sir," the man returned.

"Great," Yussuf declared with less enthusiasm. "That man is a bore, but I guess I have to tolerate such imbeciles in my line of work."

The man in front of him attempted to suppress a smirk. "Shall I tell Johnson that you are on board?"

"And ruin all my fun? No let him wait, I want to speak to my crack commando team, I need to brief them about a new tool I have acquired for them," Yussuf gestured to the unconscious human another guard was carrying towards the cells.

The man nodded his head, and disappeared above decks. Leaving Yussuf to settle into his own offices and await departure.

* * *

Dani listened to the information Malik was telling her, this mission involved her receiving information, rather than sharing. She was relieved by this, as it meant that she would only be away for a day, if that. Although to follow procedure, they still would insist that she slept before departing, thinking that when she awoke, she wouldn't remember that the mission was so short, and would carry the hesitate vibe into the mission, making her appear more vulnerable and less suspect.

Malik had finished his briefing but instead of requesting that she slept, he instead seemed as though he wanted to speak some more and he soon did.

"How much for your slave?" Malik asked. "I could exchange, or offer you what I think is appropriate compensation."

"He's not for sale," Dani stated and stood up.

"He's a good fighter, I could do well by him," Malik persisted.

"So good that he lost that fight at dinner?" Dani questioned, trying to deflect the overweight Nietzschean from his interest in Harper.

"Unfortunate," Malik dismissed. "He was obviously distracted, untrained, lacking in match fitness," he offered. "I could train that out of him, build him up, fix that breathing problem he seems to have," he gestured. "The kludge could be a surprise and I want to be the one who has him in my camp."

"I'm sorry, but I still owe him for what his people did to me, he's mine until I say so," Dani insisted, finding her feet in her new role and knowing a large part of her job now was to convince people that she couldn't be walked all over.

"Dani," Malik now stood up, his bulk was nearly twice the size of Dani as he stood before her. "You may think you're on a level with normal pride members, but to me you'll always be the slave girl, and the weakness in Yussuf's armour."

"Fact remains the slave is mine," Dani insisted, although her voice sounded weaker now, as she stared back at Malik.

"Is that so, then do tell me why you have a temporary slave in place right now?" Malik asked.

"My slave is assisting Yussuf on a mission," Dani answered, and her fears resurfaced.

"Is he now, a kludge is assisting Yussuf?" Malik frowned and then sighed. "Another kludge is working his way into Yussuf's pride now? You know I'm beginning to think this hatred that Yussuf supposedly has for kludges is just a smokescreen," he bitterly smiled.

"That data port," Dani shrugged. "It's of use to him."

"That is a surprisingly bonus to the kludge, and I had noticed that," Malik agreed casually, almost arrogantly. "But its of no interest to me, I just want to train him up and set him loose in the ring, I know some drugs that would enhance that inner rage he has so well," he spoke with passion.

Dani couldn't believe the guys nerve, but suppressed her reactions. "If I change my mind, I will give you first option," Dani offered as a compromise, she just wanted to leave now.

Malik only returned the most sinister of smiles, as if playing along. "Oh, that would be nice, thank you, first choice," he simply said in a voice that sent a chill down Dani's spine.

Dani made to leave the room but Malik soon stopped her. "Are you forgetting something?" he gestured as he moved close to her. "With Yussuf on another mission, I've been left to do the honours."

Dani tried not to show her confusion, and it occurred to her that in the past she didn't recall how she found herself on the missions that she did, it was as if she never remembered that part. When Malik produced a syringe, she suddenly realised why as the world around her fell into darkness.

TBC


	30. Part 30

Part 30

"All done?"

Beka nodded her head with a smile as Colin took her plate, and she looked around at how normal everything appeared to be. Beka had to remind herself that she was actually a prisoner, but she had just enjoyed the most interesting meal of her life, with someone who seemed to hit her every level with their interests and life stories.

Colin was also a spacer by birth and had lived his life travelling the stars with a Nietzschean pride on the trade runs, not too dissimilar to Beka's upbringing, except it was his father who had left, to seek his calling, leaving him with his mother and younger brother. Only one night he had been taken by force, Yussuf's guards had shown up and almost destroyed the ship that was his home. Now he was in this camp as security for his father, a man he hardly remembered, or wished to see again, but apparently as his eldest son, his father wished him no harm, and so worked for Yussuf and effectively determined that his son would remain a prisoner.

The story had affected Beka on a level that she didn't quite understand, she felt for Colin, to be in this situation and not even give a damn about the person who had put him there. At least she knew that whilst she was not hassled, it meant that Harper was doing ok, at least she had to cling to that assumption.

When Colin returned, Beka found that she had more questions and thankfully Colin seemed willing to answer every query she had.

"So, if say your reason for being here dies, or is killed," Beka began. "Do you get set free?"

Colin only smirked. "In all the time I've been here, no one has left, does that answer your question?" he asked. "Even those who die here are buried here, no one leaves," he added.

"Maybe you could try sugar coating your answers?" Beka mocked, and looked down at the hot drink she was holding. "How difficult is it to leave? I mean, surely there's a way?"

"If there is, no one has found it, everyone has been accounted for since this camp was opened nearly thirty years ago," Colin explained.

"And you think this will all end in a few days?" Beka questioned.

"Counting on it," Colin nodded his head.

"So what can I do to help?" Beka asked.

Colin took a deep breath. "I ask nothing more than you make the Commonwealth aware of these people, and help them, they have been exiled from existence for so long, and they'll need help."

"I can do that," Beka agreed. "But I can also kick ass, there must be more I can do."

"Tell me about the one you are here for," Colin asked.

"Harper?" Beka relaxed a little as she remembered her special little runt with fondness. "He's wired, a genius with annoying flaws, all of which serve only to annoy me," she smiled. "Give him a screwdriver, and he'll build you a slip stream drive in ten seconds," she offered.

"Impressed," Colin offered. "So are you two," he hinted.

"No," Beka immediately answered. "I've sometimes, especially in the beginning, kind of considered it but now, definitely will not happen," she grinned.

"What's changed?" Colin appeared intrigued.

"We have, we know each other so well, our friendship moved beyond romance," Beka explained thoughtfully. "And I think he's found love now, whether it has a future I don't know, I doubt it as things stand right now, but what's he's found is so very different to what we have."

"How does it make you feel, to have such a good friend discover a love you don't think will last?" Colin asked, and he then drank his hot drink.

"What is this, counselling?" Beka defended, but she smiled when he shrugged. "I was jealous in part, I felt in some ways that I was losing him, but I also didn't trust the girl, and one day you'll find out why."

"Why not now?" Colin asked.

"Because it's too sensitive," Beka simply said. "In the wrong hands, and it doesn't mean I don't trust you, but its information that might inadvertently get my friend killed, so don't push, ok?"

"You protect your friend well," Colin said. "I admire that, I hope that one day you would do the same for me, that I could reach that level of trust with you."

"Harper's had to work hard for that trust," Beka responded, and finished her drink. "Surely there's something else I can do than tell you bed time stories?"

"Kiss me goodnight?" Colin tested, a smile creeping across his face.

"How about wishing you a good night and saying I'll see you in the morning?" Beka suggested and got to her feet.

"That works too, but you're welcome to stay, we have enough room here and I'm sure you will not be expected home tonight," Colin gestured.

Beka looked at Colin, knowing it was late now and she had been more than enough trouble already for Gretna. "Ok, I'll stay but don't read too much into this," Beka warned.

Colin grinned. "I wouldn't even attempt to assume with Beka Valentine, you scare me too much."

"I do?" Beka quickly asked, caught out by his admission.

"I've only known you for a day and you've threatened me more times than Yussuf has in my lifetime," he mocked, as he pulled out an extra bed from under the couch.

"That's so unfair," Beka argued, but knew he was probably right. "Besides, I didn't mean them 'all'," she offered, and then smirked.

"I tell you what, by staying here tonight, I'm thinking that you are buying into our way of thinking, right?" Colin stated.

"I would say that's right," Beka agreed, and considered it was about time Colin accepted her offer of help.

"Then, say tomorrow, how about I talk the plans over with you?" Colin suggested. "As someone with battle experience, working with the Commonwealth, coming up against such things as the Magog, I'm sure plans for freeing this camp on the overthrow of Yussuf shouldn't be too difficult."

Beka stepped forward without word and lightly kissed Colin on the cheek. "I like that plan," she smiled as she moved away again. "Oh, that was your goodnight kiss, by the way," she offered awkwardly, when Colin didn't move.

"And I will be having sweet dreams tonight," Colin proclaimed, as he seemed to glide from the room to Beka's amusement.

* * *

Under the cover of darkness, Dylan and Rommie reached the first parameter fence and checked the defences without fear of being detected. Rommie was in deep concentration for a moment before turning to Dylan.

"Highly advance stuff, but I believe we can find a weakness, I am not detecting a high presence of guards on duty," Rommie finally reported.

"Would people risk rescuing anyone from here, knowing they are security to the safety of another?" Dylan reasoned. "Which begs the question, should we attempt anything knowing that Harper's life may depend just as much of Beka's safety, as Beka's safety is reliant on Harper?" he questioned.

"A conundrum," Rommie agreed. "However, if we make their communications the first point of attack, no one outside of this camp will know."

"I like your thinking," Dylan had to smile. "Cut them off, and we'll still have a few hours before any kind of patrol could investigate from Yussuf's base," he considered. "Let's do it, and then we find a way in, there's enough activity on the main gate to be able to come up with some sort of plan."

"There's three main gates remember," Rommie frowned.

"Good job there are not many guards then," Dylan hinted and they quickly moved away, to plan disabling the communications.

* * *

Harper grimaced even before he was fully awake, and it took him a moment to focus on the fact he was conscious again. Why did he always have to wake up when his body was hurting the most, he considered, and took a painful intake of breath, his lungs felt like lead now and he felt the restraint on his breathing. Moving slightly he heard the clink of chains and he finally opened his eyes to find heavy shackles around his wrists once again.

Blinking his eyes to encourage consciousness, or more of it, Harper tried to remember what had happened but it was all a blur. His mind then reminded him harshly of being a slave and his heart dropped once again, the pit in his stomach grew wider, this was it, waking up in chains, and unable to do anything about anything.

"He's awake," a gruff voice announced with disinterest and Harper was soon joined by two ubers, both wearing black vest tops and looking fit for business, whatever that business was. They both lifted him up, either side, grabbing under his shoulders to drag him out of the cell, not acknowledging him as a human being in any form.

"Let's get this over with, I don't appreciate baby sitting details, why has this stupid kludge been brought along anyway?" the first one complained, with short blond hair, he looked the younger of the two.

"This thing," the one of Harper's right answered, bigger built and looking more experienced with life, and he roughly pushed Harper's head to one side to try and show the other one the data port. "Yussuf said the kludge is useful with it, and we might access the place quicker."

"Can we trust it?" the blonde asked.

"Do we have a choice, Yussuf has ordered we use him, so we use him," the older man stated.

"It, it's not a 'him'," the blonde snapped arrogantly.

All the while Harper allowed himself to be dragged, listening to the exchange with interest and rage burning inside, hearing himself spoken like that was rapidly returning him to his youth, a past he thought was left long behind and now it was smacking him right in the face.

"Now we have to clean it," the blonde continued to complain, and he roughly pushed Harper into the show cubicle.

Harper immediately showed his panic, not the acid not again, his skin had only just calmed down after the last time. With a frantic air, he tried to push himself up against the wall, anything to try and protect him from the spray, and the blonde Nietzschean could only laugh at him.

"Look at the kludge, he knows what's coming," the blonde continued to mock.

"Give it a rest," the older uber spat, and he seemed to be showing slightly more compassion towards Harper. "This kid is on our mission, just remember they are as sentient as you and I, don't think they are past revenge, you never know," he warned the younger man.

"The kludge would never be in a position to save my life, I wouldn't allow it," the blonde arrogantly proclaimed.

"Who said he'd save your life anyway, but take it away, you just never know what opportunities a kludge might take if someone pisses him off enough, say keeps talking with their huge mouth," the older one complained. "Hell even my trigger finger is getting itchy right this minute," he added.

The blonde shrugged the older mans concerns away and sat in the corner whilst the other Nietzschean prepared the shower. All the while Harper had listened to the exchange with interest, he always liked to be aware of any conflict and the older uber spoke wisely, with his old Earth habits kicking in, he knew any chance he could get to seek revenge against the blonde one would be taken, just like in days of old. Gone now were his morale responsibilities that Beka instilled in him, and that Dylan, Trance, and more so Rev further encouraged, this was back to his playing field, and old rules applied once more.

"Stand up, kludge," the older man ordered, and Harper had no problem complying with this uber, at least he had shown an ounce of respect towards him. "Take off your clothes," he then instructed and Harper knew not to hang around, and with the restraints around his wrists giving him enough to work with he could follow the order promptly. "This is going to sting, but don't worry, we're on a tight schedule so we won't be long," the older uber confirmed, as the blonde smirked.

That was something at least Harper considered, as the first rush of treated water came down on him, soaking him in seconds and then he felt the familiar stinging sensation. The uber barked at him to clean himself, and with his eyes tightly shut, Harper went through the motions whilst trying to ignore the sharp pains he felt around his newer injuries. Almost as soon as the shower has started the fresh colder water crashed down on him, taking his breath away as he shivered instantly under the barrage of icy water.

Next thing Harper realised he had both ubers around him, removing him from the shower area and into the next room. The blonde one continued to mock him, and didn't let up for a minute as he ordered Harper to remain standing in the middle of a new room.

"Going to dress those wounds now, we can't let you get sick on us in the field," the older uber announced.

"He's so weak and puny do we really have to drag it along with us, the walk to the airlock will be too much for this kludge," the blonde remarked.

"Rico, give is a rest," the older uber snapped, and then turned his attention to Harper, lifting his head up to see the damage to his face. "That's quite a bruise you have there, appears to be healing well however, already purple, a good sign," he encouraged. "Do you speak?" he then asked, as he applied some gel substance to the area around Harper's right temple.

"Yeah," Harper responded, the ubers touch was surprisingly gentle.

"My name is Kane, the annoying upstart is my kid brother Rico," the uber stated.

"You're telling it our names?" Rico protested loudly.

"He was never a popular kid," Kane informed Harper, and it felt as though it was at Rico's expense. "Do you have a name?"

"Seamus," Harper revealed.

"Sounds like a typical Earth name," Kane responded. "Well Seamus, I think you're all cleaned up, let me just check your back, I noticed you've become familiar with the stick during your stay," Kane stated and examined his back. "Or should I say during your life," he corrected on closer inspection, reminding Harper why he hated his back being on show.

"I have his new clothes," a female voice now sounded, and Harper panicked slightly, knowing that he was in a state of undress that he would prefer not to be in when meeting females for the first time.

"This is my sister Darla," Kane announced. "And don't worry, nothing you have she hasn't seen before."

"What are you suggesting dear brother?" Darla then asked innocently, and she walked around Harper, furthering his embarrassment.

"Get dressed," Kane ordered Harper, who wasted no time once again in following an order. He had only managed to get his pants on when Darla stepped up to him, placing her hand on his chest, with a suggestive smile.

"I don't know, he's different to what I'm use to," Darla purred.

"He's also a kludge, they carried germs," Rico snapped with disgust at his sister.

"That's just a myth," Darla argued.

"So, if that's true, then why the showers?" Rico returned.

"He's clean, didn't you just shower him?" Darla grinned.

"Kludge," Rico emphasised, no longer using sentences to make his point.

Kane just stood and watched as his sister stroked the slave's chest. "Darla, we are on a tight schedule could you put the slave down so he can continue to get dressed?"

"Is he coming with us?" Darla asked, with a spark of excitement about her.

"Not if he's going to be such a distraction to you, no," Kane warned.

"I'm just kidding, I wouldn't be seen dead with a kludge," Darla turned quickly, and Harper continued to get dressed, dismissing her advances for nothing more than an action to taunt both her brothers, for very different reasons.

"Look, Seamus," Kane now spoke quietly. "They are just kids, but they are my family, any thoughts you may have towards their continued good health, although they may be shared with my own, I would urge you not to do anything stupid, do you catch my drift?" Kane warned. "They are family," he added.

"Don't worry, I have my own reasons not to want to cause trouble," Harper responded, as he finished dressing by putting on some heavy boots. Remembering Dani and having no idea where she was or if she knew he was here, hoping that he didn't do anything to ruin their plan.

Harper got to his feet, he felt better and the shower hadn't inflamed his skin nearly as much as last time, to his relief. The clothes felt better as well, and having boots on again was a blessed relief, he felt more himself again, but he knew not to get too confident.

A sudden in take of breath, followed by a sharp pain, caught Harper unawares, and he was reminded of how restricted his breathing seemed to be now. Kane had also noticed and reached for the medical kit, taking out the scanner and frowning. "You have lung damage," he reported.

"I know," Harper returned. "Received before I got this gig," he grimaced, as he tried to walk though the pain.

"Take this, it might have to relieve the pressure a bit," Kane offered. "We can't have you collapsing on the job."

Harper took the device and felt like hugging Kane, he recognised it as an inhaler and knew any substance it might contain would help, and he inhaled quickly, almost feeling the healing effects immediately. "Thanks that has helped a lot," Harper said with a genuine air.

They now reached a room where Yussuf was sat waiting for them, and he looked at Harper, now dressed in the same black attired as the rest of his team and he seemed impressed by how well the kludge had scrubbed up.

"Test the port now that the kludge is here," Yussuf ordered to a man stood beside him.

Harper realised then that everyone but him had already been briefed on the mission and was only on a need to know basis, and right that minute he didn't need to know anything other than if his port was working with whatever device they had.

Mentally Harper prepared for connection, unsure if the man approaching him would give him fair warning and as it turned out he didn't, as a connector was placed into the port without word. Harper braced this time and was able to accept it without much resistance and he took a moment to translate the data.

"What do you see?" Yussuf asked, the semi conscious Harper.

"Plans," Harper revealed a little distracted by the new information inside of him. "Ways in, ways out," he added.

"That's all you need to know, you get us in, and you get us out, that is your job, and your only job," Yussuf declared.

"What about the main access core?" Harper asked before thinking.

"You are not on the team to do anything important kludge, you open a door you close the door, that is all," Yussuf snapped.

"Ewan, stood beside you will be doing the advanced stuff," Kane answered Harper.

'Advanced stuff?' Harper inwardly fumed and he knew just by looking at the kid that he could easily outsmart him when it came to infiltrating foreign computer systems, yet he was expected to just open and close doors when there was much more interesting activities to help with. But he was in no position to complain, he had a job to do and he would do it like a good little slave, at least, that is, unless he got bored and found an opportunity to do more on this crappy mission, he considered to himself.

TBC


	31. Part 31

Part 31

Beka awoke to the smell of fresh coffee and for the moment she wondered if this was what having a normal life was all about. She sat up and wearily shook the sleep from her mind, as she focused on the room surrounding her.

"Morning," Colin's bright voice entered the room and with it he carried a mug of the coffee that had woken her.

"Thanks," Beka smiled. "It's becoming harder to remember I'm being held here against my will," she offered, and briefly remembered Harper back on board that ship, if he was even still on that ship, she just had no idea. One thing she was sure of, he wasn't sipping fresh coffee at that moment like her.

"He'll be ok," Colin seemed to read the concerns in her mind.

"How did you know I was thinking about him?" Beka asked.

"All the new recruits do it, first few months, whenever they have something that they enjoy, like the coffee, they feel guilty for their loved ones," Colin said with an experienced air. "It will pass with time."

"I don't want to lose it, and besides, you keep telling me that in a matter of days all of this will be a thing of the past," Beka reminded him.

"And it will," Colin agreed.

"How long have you been here?" Beka now asked, and she couldn't help but noticed Colin's bone blades, he was no longer wearing the jacket to hide them.

Colin just shrugged. "I think between six and nine years," he answered, and noticed Beka looking at his bone blades. "What?" he asked, seeing a confused expression from Beka.

"The name Colin, not something I would associate with a Nietzschean," Beka had to be honest.

"I don't use my real name, I don't want to be associated with my father after he did this to me," Colin showed a rare flash of anger. "I had a friend here, in the camp when I first arrived, his family name was Collins, and I took it on to honour his memory after he died of illness."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything, I didn't mean to be rude," Beka flustered, she wished she hadn't said anything now.

"No, it's ok," Colin returned. "And you're right, it's not really a name usually associated with first born sons of an alpha male," he grinned. "And in truth, I don't act like the first born son of an alpha male," he added. "This is not an ideal environment to explore the more natural Nietzschean tendencies," he grinned.

"Are you telling me you've gone soft?" Beka asked with amusement, then frowned as she considered his words some more. "I guess in a camp like this it takes a lot of your identity away, forced to live like this with so many different species," Beka reasoned.

"There's no room for ancestry, religion or heritage here, or anything that identifies with anything outside of the camp," Colin agreed. "We have our own way of life, created our own culture, and we have encouraged people to forget the past, it makes accepting all this that much easier," he sighed and then looked towards the window. "I have a few of the other members showing up soon, they will bring you in on the plans, we'd be interested in your reactions to them."

"Let me freshen up and I'll be right with you," Beka suggested and Colin left the room, leaving Beka to finish her coffee, before preparing for the day.

* * *

Dani found herself in a bed, and somewhere she didn't recognise. Sitting up she moved to the side and listened at the door, hearing voices, and quietly she opened the door slightly. At a table, playing some sort of card game and looking as though they had played through the night, Dani saw four ubers.

She looked around the sparse room, and found her bag, retrieving some fresh clothes she quickly got dressed and remembered the mission, something she had never been able to do before now. Remembering how to act dumb, Dani looked at herself in the mirror, knowing she had to appear a little confused in front of the ubers as to where she was, whilst knowing full well that she was a guest of the Gegain Pride, an off shoot of the Drago Kasov pride.

Tentatively she stepped outside the room and approached the table, her head bowed. The ubers all stopped their talking, and she could feel them looking at her.

"She's awake, I guess its time to go to work," the lead uber announced. "I have some information that I wish for you to pass on to your boss, Yussuf, but don't hurry your sweet little self in telling him," he grinned.

"Go ahead," Dani confirmed, just wanting to get this over with so she could return to the palace.

"There is a threat to his leadership, a very real threat and it comes in the shape of Johnson, or to give him his real name J'ahnsen, a name from Yussuf's past that he will know all too well," the uber spoke clearly, as Dani remembered the details with ease. "The strike could happen any day now so be prepared, it's in all our best interests, and we do not want to see the J'ahnsen pride rule any sector any time soon."

"Is there any more information you wish to pass along?" Dani asked.

"There is," the uber spoke in hushed tones now. "J'ahnsen is a known back stabber, literally, do not let him blindside Yussuf, he will try to get him alone or away from his usual haunts in order to strike," the uber spoke. "But again, if you don't remember in time, do remember I did try to warn him," he hinted with an amused smile.

Dani nodded her head, but could show no reaction, even though alarm bells were ringing, she knew that Yussuf was planning a mission and now she had wished she had learnt more details. This uber was doing nothing but covering his own back, this information was arriving too late, and purposely so, Dani seethed. Had this been before her head was fixed, there would be no way Yussuf would discover it in time, if the threat was so close, but now she would remember and Dani knew she could warn Yussuf, but she would risk revealing her secret.

Stepping away, Dani faced a dilemma, but she waited before feeling a familiar sensation of a light stab to her neck, as she was once again sent to sleep.

* * *

Harper communicated with the door controls and with ease he opened the main door to some underground caverns, he then quickly retrieved the cable so he could follow the team in. The team of ubers moved swiftly, and with trained precision, and Harper felt his lungs beginning to burn from the exertion already, and they had only just arrived.

"Stay here," Kane ordered towards Harper, they were now in some dank corridor, underground and they clearly were no where near their destination. "Be ready for our return, we'll need a quick exit."

"I'll stay with him, keep an eye on him," Yussuf declared, also looking short of breath but for different reasons.

Harper sighed, he had hoped to at least follow them to the main section, the interesting bit, but maybe Kane had seen he was struggling and took pity of him, and Harper hated his stupid lungs for being so weak at this time. For the first time in days something interesting was happening, and he had to miss out, for the very reason he always dreaded, because he was just a kludge.

The team had broken off into two, with the four ubers of Kane, Rico, Darla and Ewan heading towards the main core, whilst Johnson and his two flunkies headed to retrieve information from the offices, with Yussuf staying with Harper.

Harper had slid down the wall to sit down, and get his breath back, perspiring slightly he wiped his brow with the hem of his shirt, and was surprised when Yussuf joined him, although sitting across from him.

"You're everything I expect in a kludge, weak, simple minded, vile," Yussuf began, giving Harper very little to return with. "You sum of what the Commonwealth mean to me, very little, like yourself," he grinned at his own humour.

Harper could only sneer in reaction and look away, tired of the insults and the fact that he was not able to give as good as he got, at least not daring to in the condition he was currently in, it wasn't a wise move for survival. Picking fights with the tyrant of the sector was well and truly out of the equation whatever his health, he then considered inwardly with amusement.

As he glanced down the tunnel where the team of four ubers had disappeared, he found that he was actually enjoying his little excursion. He may be just the kludge they had brought along to open doors, but at least he was doing something, and being of use, and he had the opportunity to be something more than just a stupid slave, this was just what he had needed, Harper realised.

"Do you hear that?" Yussuf then asked towards Harper. "Of course you don't you're just a kludge, stand up," he ordered briskly.

Harper got to his feet, rapidly being reminded of his status in this team, and Yussuf gestured to Harper to move closer to the offices where Johnson had disappeared to. "Tell me what Johnson is discussing with his goons, I can hear voices and I heard my name, go to the door and listen."

Harper frowned but he couldn't complain or protest and begrudgingly he headed towards the offices, taking care not to be heard of seen. He crept up to the door frame and listened to the discussion, they were speaking with hushed voices, so Harper had to concentrate to hear.

"On return to the ship, we strike, and Yussuf will be no more," Johnson was heard and Harper froze, his back pressed to the wall, and he glanced back at Yussuf who was waiting for him. "As soon as dinner is over, we will meet in the corridor connecting to his quarters, you two take out his guards, and I'll deliver the goods to the man himself."

Harper knew he had to move away, but on standing up he stumbled and in an effort to remain quiet, he failed as his boot squeaked on the tiled floor. Harper was convinced that he'd been heard by Johnson, so he began to run and was closer to Yussuf by the time Johnson had come out of the office to investigate.

Harper glanced back and saw confirmation in Johnson's pose that the uber now suspected that he had heard everything, and Harper knew he had heard enough. Yussuf was by his side now, and it was plain to see on Johnson's face that he was not a happy man.

"What did you learn?" Yussuf demanded grabbing hold of Harper's shirt, and Harper nervously glanced at Johnson who was walking towards them. Yussuf put his other hand on Harper's shoulder, and the human was increasingly aware of Johnson fast approaching.

"Give me that kludge," Johnson now demanded, but Yussuf pushed Harper away to the side, and protectively he stood between Harper and Johnson, knowing the kludge had learnt something of importance with his eavesdropping.

"Why are you so afraid?" Yussuf questioned.

"I do not wish the kludge to be spreading unfair rumours about me, I have no idea what lies he would tell about what he may have heard, it could be easily taken out of context," Johnson stressed, and Harper couldn't help but smirk, and find a smile, that Yussuf didn't miss.

"Tell me, what did you hear and I'll make my own mind up," Yussuf stressed looking at Harper.

So focused on Harper, Yussuf took his eyes away from Johnson for a moment, but Harper spotted the flash of light hit off the knife and his natural instincts kicked in as he pulled Yussuf to one side and then lunged at Johnson. It took Yussuf a moment to realise the situation, and when Johnson's flunkies quickly turned up, Yussuf found himself fighting alongside Harper.

Harper fought off the attempts of one flunky as he bashed the hand that Johnson held the knife in, but his strength was no match for Johnson and soon the larger man over powered Harper and twisted him over onto his back, Harper looked up at Johnson as he glared down on him.

"Stupid kludge," Johnson said with such venom, and Harper's rage hit maximum as he kicked Johnson between the legs and could almost feel the pain he now saw in Johnson's expression. In a desperate bid for retaliation, Johnson swung the knife in front of Harper, who in turn screamed out when the blade connected sharply with the back of his hand as he tried to protect himself. Distracted, Johnson was able to swing a couple of punches across Harper's unprotected face now.

So blinding and consuming was the pain now, that Harper didn't know the attack was over until he heard Yussuf's voice encouraging him to sit up. Opening his eyes, Harper controlled his breathing as he stared back at a smiling Yussuf, looking at him with disbelief.

"They were planning to kill you," Harper finally revealed what he had overheard.

"I figured that one out, but you did well," Yussuf returned. "You saved my life," he then added with confusion, before checking how pale Harper was and seeing the wound to the back of his left hand. Without another thought Yussuf tore part of his shirt and quickly wrapped it around Harper's hand tightly to stem the flow of blood. "Stay with us, we still need you to get us out of here, remember," Yussuf ordered, but it was said with some care now.

Harper just nodded his head, the pain in his hand felt like nothing else he had experienced and he couldn't move his fingers, let alone feel them anymore. Tiredly, he glanced over and saw the pile of ubers, Johnson and his flunkies, dead or unconscious, he wasn't entirely sure but he didn't really care for the minute.

"You are worthy of being Dani's slave, her assistant and protector," Yussuf then spoke through the haze that was Harper's rapidly declining consciousness. "You have saved my life, possibly averted a coup," he continued over the possibilities. "So, I am to be grateful to a kludge?" he then questioned.

"No," Harper managed, keeping hold of his consciousness. "I don't want your thanks or anything," Harper sneered with honesty.

"I can't let this go unrewarded," Yussuf explained with some uncertainty. "Just as much as I can't be seen to praise a kludge," he added.

"How about you give me my freedom?" Harper asked through heavy breaths.

"So you can travel the universe telling people of this, that you were once my slave and now you are not?" Yussuf was almost mocking him. "I don't think that is a reward, I think that is a punishment for me."

"I wouldn't do that," Harper was heavily perspiring now.

"Well," Yussuf looked at him. "Maybe I'll be lucky and you won't survive the trip back."

Harper closed his eyes, his life stank, and he saved a guy who now wished him dead so that he wouldn't have to thank him publicly.

"Stay awake," Yussuf demanded.

"Make me," Harper countered losing the will to stay on the ubers good side, and then felt his body being shaken violently, enough that he opened his eyes again. "Ok, ok, point taken, so you can make me stay awake," he complained.

"I can't let you die, I know that you mean too much to Dani for me to let that happen," Yussuf idly spoke.

"I do, you do?" Harper questioned, a little confused in his weary state.

"Well it's obvious," Yussuf conceded, talking frankly now. "I see no other reason why you remain unmarked by her, why her scent always seems to be around you," he then reached for Harper's face to get his undivided attention, with a firm grip on Harper's jaw. "You are both intimate, right?" Yussuf asked outright.

Harper wasn't sure if it was a trick question or not, and with Yussuf holding his jaw, he decided to play it safe. "We became friends on the Andromeda," he answered, knowing it was the truth.

"She told me you treated her badly in the beginning, because she was a slave," Yussuf began, finally letting go of Harper, and the human shrugged before agreeing before wondering what else Dani had told him. "And then she turns around and makes you her slave, you have to love her twisted sense of humour, don't you?" he grinned.

Harper snapped his attention to Yussuf. "She told you that she did this because of what I did to her?" he asked, forgetting himself for a moment.

"That's the impression she gave me," Yussuf nodded his head.

Harper decided not to respond, this was Yussuf after all and he had to trust that Dani wouldn't have done what he was claiming, and he had to trust her and believe her original explanation. Harper knew that right that minute he was just emotional, tired and in intense pain, and he wasn't thinking straight, he considered.

"Stay awake," Yussuf said again.

"I'm awake," Harper returned, and his head felt like it was on fire now.

"Here they come," Yussuf stood up and Harper remained where he was, but he could hear voices, and he guessed that Yussuf was probably explaining to the team what had happened, before after about a minute he felt someone lift him to his feet.

"Good work," Kane then spoke as Harper focused on him. "Now get us out of here and we'll get you fix up good and new as a reward, we might even allow you to rest," he grinned.

Harper just nodded his head, and took the assistance that Kane offered him in hooking up to the door computer once again. It took him a little longer this time to figure out the code but they were all soon moving again, with Kane lifting Harper over his shoulder for the rest of the journey back to the ship.

* * *

Rhade had grown bored of his surroundings as he waited for time to pass by, but soon he was stood by the entrant's door with a few other people, all looking desperate and ready for a fight. The fight night would start in two hours and he was hoping that he had made the right decision to do this.

"I hear Yussuf isn't even here tonight," one potential fighter spoke.

"What does it matter?" another man spoke.

"If you win your fights you get noticed, and if you're good you can join his camps, free food, board, and all you have to do is keep winning," the man enthused.

"All you have to do?" the other man scoffed. "I just want my winnings and I'll be out of here on the next transport to a better place, out of this mad mans control."

Rhade was now ignoring the exchange, he had hoped they were wrong about Yussuf, as that was his main reason for being here, but he soon found himself being talked to.

"So why are you here, you don't look as desperate as the rest," the man looking for a way off the planet was asking.

"I want information, information I can only get if I'm on the inside," Rhade answered.

"See that's more of an answer, a man with brains and a mission," the man declared. "My fighting name is Traveller, and you are?"

"Rhade, I'm sure we'll never meet again," he added with a knowing smile.

"Too true," the man responded.

The heavy doors finally opened and Rhade considered once again backing out, but instead found himself being led into the building by the Traveller man, as he put an arm around his shoulders and led the way.

* * *

Beka was aware of the raised voices as she walked through the building to find Colin, having just taken a shower after her relaxing start to the day, it had been nice to just feel warm running water again after her previous experience.

As she entered the main room she saw that the others had turned up, who she had yet to be introduced to, and they all seemed a lot more stressed than before.

"I'm telling you everything is dead, everything," a woman flustered at Colin, who simply looked up as Beka walked in. "This is bad, Col, without this, just how are we going to know what is going on?"

"It might have already happened and we'll be sat here like idiots," an older man huffed, like a child with his arms crossed.

"I'm sure we can sort it out," Colin simply offered a little calmer than the rest.

"Problem?" Beka chose to ask.

All eyes turned to her, and she picked up on the suspicion from the others immediately, as she was the new face it was only natural for them to think she might have been involved in whatever had gone wrong.

"Communications have died, all over the camp," Colin explained. "Nothing is coming in, and nothing is going out."

"Ah," Beka frowned, and crossed her arms. "So, we have no way of knowing if what you say is going to happen, has happened?"

"Exactly, and it is due to happen any moment now, in fact it's very possible it already has, but we just have no way of knowing now," Colin sighed, as he walked to the window.

"Do you think it's deliberate?" Beka asked suspecting fowl play.

"Well you tell us, no one knew about this other than us, then you come along and suddenly we hit a problem we've never hit before," the older man accused, standing up and glaring at Beka.

"I had nothing to do with this, I want out of this place just like you," Beka stood her ground, remaining calm to his words.

"Ges," Colin simply warned, moving next to Beka. "This is Beka, she's a part of the Commonwealth, she has no reason to do anything against us, and she speaks the truth about wanting out."

The small group of people didn't seem convinced but they remained silent now, as Colin paced the room. "It's possible that the guards on duty heard about something and cut us off, until they know more," he shrugged, but didn't seem particularly convinced. "But usually it's a job keeping them awake, the only reason any of us are still here is the tech, not the guards."

"All we were waiting for was the news that Yussuf had been killed, one sentence, and now we'll hear nothing," the female continued to complain. "Our freedom, our paradise has been taken away from us, just like that, it's just not fair," she said and Beka was almost expecting her to stamp her foot, unable to believe what she was seeing in these people in reaction to the communications failing.

"Look, I know I'm new around here but crap happens, and it's more about how you respond to it that counts," Beka explained, and glanced at Colin, seeing he wasn't attempting to stop her so she continued. "Communications are down, so let's try and resolve it, is it a problem we can fix, do we even know?" she asked, and saw blank faces looking back at her.

"We have everything provided for us, we generally just wait for things to be fixed," Colin explained.

Beka couldn't hide her reaction, of shock and amusement. "On one hand you want to be free of this camp, of its restrictions and of Yussuf, but on the other hand I doubt any of you can survive five minutes without him," she was forced to admit. "How long have you all been here, that you've become so dependant on his care?"

The female got to her feet with the fury. "Who the hell do you think you are saying these things to us, we're not reliant on that man, and we work outside of this system he has!" she fumed.

"Really?" Beka had to smile. "You use his buildings, his equipment, his staff to fix it, his food to keep you fed, you're about as independent as a pet my engineer once had, and that died within hours of escaping from its cage because it had no idea about anything either," she emphasised.

"Colin, tell her she's wrong!" the female spluttered with disbelief.

"Kirsty, she's right," Colin realised with stunned disbelief. "How independent are we?"

"We are as independent as we can be, given our situation," Ges offered bluntly.

"Wrong," Beka responded. "You've all been here for years I take it, and what have you really done in that time to assert independence?" Beka asked. "Have any of you heard of Earth, the humans there, they also live under Nietzschean rule, in camps that are a hundred times worse than this, they are not given food, shelter or equipment like this," she gestured to the broken transmitter. "But they get by, they find ways to build equipment, to find food, they survive because they were forced to," Beka stressed and paced the room now. "Why depend on their food when you could have grown your own, you have the land, the food they provided has the seeds, did any of you consider the fact the ubers could have just stopped the supply at any time?" she questioned with anger.

"Do we have to listen to this?" Ges complained.

"Yes," Colin simply stated and gestured to Beka to continue.

"I've said my piece, but I will say one more thing and that's about my engineer, who Yussuf has captured right now, he came from that environment on Earth and he could teach you a thing or two about a lot of things, especially about survival," Beka said with passion.

"He still got caught by Yussuf," Kirsty sniped, with arrogance.

"And he will survive when he does eventually escape, and he will escape, of that I have no doubt," Beka returned strongly. "But you guys, do you even know what is coming this way, the horrors that await you? Do you realise that there is a Magog World Ship just months away," Beka then gave it some consideration. "You know to be honest, you shouldn't leave this place, you're not ready for the real universe out there," Beka stated.

There was silence now in the room and all complaints and moans had ceased as Beka's words sunk in. Colin moved beside Beka and gently stroked her arm, but she moved away and left the room to go outside to get some air. A few minutes later Colin stepped outside and joined her.

"They needed to hear that, we all needed to hear that," Colin assured her quietly.

"I've never been diplomatic," Beka offered with an apologetic smile. "But their reactions in the face of one problem, one set back, Colin, you have a bunch of kids in that room, you know that right?"

"I guess we just never had many obstacles like this," Colin explained. "You have to help us."

"I want to, but my patience isn't all that good around kids," Beka shrugged, looking upwards. "And what if Yussuf is already dead and we've missed the party, what then?"

"Yussuf is dead, and his reign is over I can just feel it," Colin stated confidently looking up at the blue skies above them. "We live in free times now, and word will reach us, somehow."

Beka took a deep breath. "Then I can expect a visit soon, see my friends, they are grown ups and they'll know what to do, they'll find me," she grinned.

"Beka!"

Beka frowned, and did a double take. "Although I wasn't expecting them to find me quite so soon, Dylan?" she questioned, looking towards the voice and recognising it.

"You know them?" Colin gestured to the two people rapidly approaching.

"It's my friends, from the Andromeda, and the Commonwealth, how the hell did they get in here?" Beka asked wildly as she moved towards Dylan and Rommie.

Embracing Rommie and Dylan in turn, Beka couldn't hide her joy. "Does this mean Yussuf is dead?" Beka asked, but both Dylan and Rommie's face showed confusion to her question.

"As far as we know Yussuf is alive and well," Dylan answered. "We just infiltrated the supplies team, cut communications and here we are."

"You cut communications?" Beka checked. "Dylan, we're here waiting on word of Yussuf's demise, so we need those communications, something big is going down."

"So we keep being told," Rommie responded, and then looked to Beka. "I received confirmation that his ship has returned to his base, and I have no reason to believe that Yussuf has been killed, there are no reports stating this as yet," she added, confirming to Beka that Rommie was in contacted with the ship, and it was scanning the frequencies.

"How does she do that, and how can she be so sure?" Colin now asked, looking at Rommie with confusion.

"She's our ship, the avatar," Beka explained.

"Neat," Colin could only speak in response, looking Rommie up and down.

"Dylan, I have received no further update from Rhade, it's been over twelve hours since his last communication," Rommie added.

"Beka, we need to move," Dylan stated.

Beka looked at Colin, and hesitated before she turned back to Dylan. "You know we have about fifteen hundred people who really should leave with us," she stated.

"I know the situation," Dylan confirmed.

"Most of these people are security for staff who work for Yussuf, if we free them, we take away his security, his means of controlling his staff," Beka continued to push her case.

"Well, we do have a sketchy escape plan, a few extra hands would help," Dylan confirmed.

"We will help, whatever it takes," Colin enthused.

"I am able to withstand the current that flows around the parameter fence for a short while, enough time to break the flow, and allow a number of people to dismantle the fence, would you be able to get enough man power to help us do this?" Rommie asked Colin.

"Give me thirty minutes and I'll get you a hundred men who can," Colin was already backing away, his enthusiasm obvious as he broke into a sprint back to the house.

"Strange man," Dylan frowned.

"This whole place is strange," Beka stated and then looked at Dylan with concern. "Please tell me that you have rescued Harper, or at least sighted him."

"Sorry," Dylan returned. "It was a tough enough task finding you, and we had hoped Harper would be here too."

"He must still be with Yussuf, they tricked us, and we were separated," Beka frowned. "He was really bad when I left him, they are not the perfect hosts they," Beka stopped unable to continue, as Rommie put an arm around her.

"We'll find him, don't worry, and if plans are in place to overthrow Yussuf like it appears they are then he might even find his own way home," Rommie encouraged.

"I hope whoever has the guts to kill Yussuf, does it soon," Beka agreed, with a degree of anger in her voice.

TBC


	32. Part 32

Part 32

"The kludge saved my life," Yussuf declared, as he looked down at the unconscious human. "He saw the knife where I didn't, and he saved me."

"Then we have a lot to thank this little man for," the doctor returned, and carefully began work on the damage to the human's left hand.

"Will his hand be ok?" Yussuf asked, seeing the concentration that the doctor was putting into the procedure.

"The knife cut cleanly through some of the tendons and muscle that enable movement in the fingers," the doctor explained with care. "I'll do what I can but he might get lucky, he might regain some use from it again."

Yussuf simply nodded his head and left the doctor to his work. The doctor then glared at the human, he stopped what he was doing, and walked away. With anger he threw his equipment in the cleansing solution, before returning to Harper's side.

"Stupid, stupid kludge," he sneered. "Do you realise what you have done, what you have condemned this universe to?" he snapped at the unconscious form before him. "Your heroics have kept Yussuf alive," he spoke close to Harper's face. "But you better watch your back, you have made many enemies today, so much so that you best stay on Yussuf's good side, it's all that's keeping you alive right now."

Having said his piece, regardless of the fact the human had not heard any of it; the doctor left the medical area, leaving Harper untreated on the cot.

* * *

The noise was unbelievable as Dani stepped into the arena and saw Yussuf already seated in his regular place. She had just got back from her own mission and had heard all about the attempt on Yussuf's life, and how it had been Johnson who had pulled the knife. She was stunned, but having heard what she learned on her mission, her surprise was lessened. What had surprised her was that it had been 'the kludge' Harper that had saved him, and she couldn't wait to hear Yussuf's take on things.

Dani was also relieved that Harper had inadvertently made life easier for her. Now that she remembered things, she had wondered how she would have kept that information quiet from Yussuf for the appropriate number of days. She was glad however that Johnson had been found out, after what he had told her himself about his plans, she was in a perfect position now to twist the knife for what he put Harper through after capture.

"Dani!" Yussuf proclaimed and gestured for her to take a seat next to his. It wasn't often that Dani joined him for the fight nights, but the mood called for it, those around Yussuf were celebrating the failed attempt on his life and she could feel the happiness around her for the first time in a long while.

"I heard you had fun today," Dani began with a knowing smile, having briefly embraced Yussuf.

"I owe you so much," Yussuf answered.

"Me?" Dani questioned.

"Your slave, you chose very wisely with that kludge," Yussuf simply confirmed. "And that kludge will now have a place for life as a slave for my people, he's earned it."

Dani tried to offer a genuine smile, but inside she was torn between amusement and terror. "I'm sure he feels that he was just doing his job," Dani explained.

"You saw the potential Dani, I will ensure that is noted," Yussuf continued, unaware of Dani's concerns.

"Yussuf, when I awoke after my mission I remembered something, something Johnson said to me some days ago," Dani now spoke with care. "He told me how he was planning to kill you, and that he wanted me to join him after the act, and not remain loyal to your people."

Yussuf clearly was affected by this news and he clenched his fist. "Then that seals his fate, Dani, no one tries to take you from me," he confirmed with passion, needing no further confirmation as to the truth of her words.

With a satisfied smile Dani sat back a little, as the pre fight banter began down below. "So where is my slave?"

"The medical deck," Yussuf answered casually.

"Is he hurt?" Dani asked with concern.

"He injured his hand in the scuffle with Johnson, it looks pretty bad but the doctor has it all under control," Yussuf dismissed, as his attention began to focus on the activities in the arena.

"I should go and see him," Dani spoke up.

"I suspected you might want to, but at least stay for one fight, you might recognise the fighter in this first bout, a surprise entry and I suspect not a coincidence," Yussuf gestured, handing Dani the schedule.

Dani took a moment for the name to sink in. "Rhade?" she spoke with confusion.

"I'm assuming you know him from the Andromeda?" Yussuf was interested by her reaction.

"Yeah," Dani confirmed, but her expression offered very little, inside she was jumping at the idea that the Andromeda crew were so close, even if it was just Rhade, the others couldn't be far away, she considered.

"I understand it must be hard for you," Yussuf offered a comforting hand on her arm. "So stay and watch my best fighter beat the crap out of him," Yussuf grinned. "It's just a shame the captain didn't fancy his chances too," he added as an after thought.

Dani attempted a grin for Yussuf's benefit, but she really just wanted to check on the doctor and Seamus, she had never been on the best of terms with the doctor and he had resented teaching her about medicine after Yussuf had seen her take an interest in the subject, but she was also intrigued by Rhade's appearance and she looked on as Rhade stepped into the arena below.

* * *

Harper awoke with a start and the pain hit him immediately as he cried out, and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut to try and alleviate the intensity. Taking control breaths, Harper just wanted to let the tears forming fall from his eyes, his hand felt as though it was being eaten alive, the pain was so intense.

After a few minutes, Harper was able to calm down enough to open his eyes, and he almost baulked when he caught sight of his hand, it was twice the size, and purple with bruising, it looked as though nothing had been done to it since the knife hit him.

"Doctor?" Harper called out with pained desperation, but there was no response. Harper let his head fall back, not knowing what to do, he couldn't feel or move his hand at all, but he couldn't see the point in sitting around when there was no doctor to be found.

With effort he sat up, wincing at every move and he stumble forward slightly, losing his balance and he fell forward, and down to the floor. Another cry of pain followed, and Harper curled up on the floor for a moment until the wave passed over, protectively holding his injured arm to his chest.

With shaking limbs, Harper managed to stagger to his feet as he leaned into the walls for support. Catching a glimpse of himself in a mirror, Harper quickly looked away, it was too much for him to see himself like this, in so much pain, with his hair so short, looking beaten, it took him back to a place he wanted to forget and he pushed himself forward towards the exit. On reaching the door he felt a pair of hands on his bare shoulders and he froze.

"Whoa, little guy, where are you going?"

"Kane," Harper managed between breaths, and he was shaking uncontrollably now.

"You better lie back down, I'm sure the doctor has only gone for a moment," Kane took Harper's weight and led him back to the cot.

"I haven't seen him since I woke up," Harper stressed his voice now shaking too, no longer caring that slaves were not supposed to talk to ubers, deep down he felt that Kane was on some level with him. "It hurts, everything hurts," he then spoke with desperation clear in his tone as he sought comfort on the cot, and found none.

Kane looked concerned. "Surely the painkillers are still effective," Kane questioned and then looked around, knowing they can't be looking at the pain the kludge was in. "Look, I'll get you something for the pain, just calm down, you're in good hands here, and Yussuf won't want to see you like this, not after what you did for him today," he offered a grin, and left Harper's side in search of some painkillers in the next room.

Harper worked on calming down, somehow Kane's voice had been enough to get through and trust him, but Harper became aware that someone else had just entered the room from the other door.

"So you're awake now," the doctor confirmed, and was by Harper's side in seconds. "Mr Hero, saving Yussuf's life, the brave little soldier?" he sneered with disgust. "You stupid idiot," he snapped pushing down on Harper's shoulders. "We've been planning his demise for weeks, finally we had a chance but what happens, stupid kludge saves his life!"

Harper stared wide eyed at the anger on display from the doctor, it was so unexpected that Harper couldn't speak or react, so he just stared blankly to the doctor's anger, if nothing else it took his mind off the pain that racked his body.

"And now I'm suppose to fix you?" the doctor continued with a tone of disgust. "You have condemned this whole sector to more years of suffering, pain and anguish at Yussuf's hands, and I'm expected to fix that hand that saved him, saved Yussuf?" The doctor grabbed hold of the injured hand and Harper screamed out in pure agony at the touch.

Seconds letter the hold was released and Harper was vaguely aware of a scuffle taking place near to him, but his consciousness was wavering from the pain. He tiredly opened his eyes in time to see Kane secure the doctor and then knock him out cold, and Harper offered the briefest of smiles.

"Hey," Kane now turned his attention to Harper, and he could see the concern in Kane's eyes as he administered some pain killers, but the uber looked panicked. "I'll get Dani, she'll know what to do, hang in there," Kane stressed and left the room with urgency.

Harper finally felt relaxed, mellow almost and he let his head roll around as the blurry image of the room floated around him. He felt tired, and had the overwhelming need to sleep, his hand still hurt like hell, but he was past that now, he just wanted to sleep, so he closed his eyes and allowed the desire to take him.

* * *

Dylan sent the hammer crashing down again, and beside him over hundred men did likewise, whilst nearly twenty others kept the guards busy. The fences were nearly down, already they had reached the exterior fence and they were within sight of freedom now.

"Dylan," Beka's voice sounded concerned, as he turned to her. "We have maybe three minutes before Rommie is damaged by the flow, we have to work faster."

"Come on!" Dylan yelled with authority. "We have to double our efforts!" he encouraged and Beka picked up a tool to do what she could to help.

They continued to attack the large fence and it began to give way, but Dylan was becoming concerned, they were cutting it fine and he glanced over to where Rommie was resisting the current, and he could see her body was now beginning to shake.

One final attack on the fence and finally it fell, breaking the circuit and beside him the men all rushed forward towards freedom, not caring what they were leaving behind.

"You know it's strange, before this morning none of these people had the desire to escape," Beka remarked.

"Strange what hope does to some people," Dylan responded. "We need to help Rommie now," he stressed and sprinted over to where she was still stood. "Rommie, it's done, you did well," Dylan stated and before he could do anything else he was catching the android before she hit the ground. "Rommie?"

"Rommie!" Beka now yelled as she quickly joined Dylan.

"Let's get her back to the Andromeda," Dylan simply said.

"Will she be ok?"

"Colin," Beka turned to her friend. "I thought you would have sprinted for the hills by now."

"I wanted to say thanks," Colin offered awkwardly. "We would never have been able to do anything like this without you, all of you," he gestured to Dylan and Rommie as well. "Now Yussuf has no hold on us, and we'll find out more about the horrors you mentioned," he shrugged.

Beka looked at Dylan and seemed hesitant before speaking. "We have a space in our slip fighter if you want a ride anyplace, maybe to find your kid brother, or your mother?"

Colin seemed taken aback by the offer and took a moment before responding. "I was planning on just making sure everything was ok here, a few people are going to stay, but they plan to destroy the fences now they are no longer live."

"I can appreciate that, there's a town here, a community," Beka agreed looking around, and the place didn't seem so bad now that there was a way in and a way out.

"But it's not my home," Colin confirmed.

"Go gather your things, we'll wait for you," Beka smiled.

"Beka, we really need to get going," Dylan encouraged once Colin had sprinted away.

"I know but he looked after me, gave me hope," Beka reasoned, appealing to Dylan's nature with the hope line.

"Ten minutes, then we leave," Dylan simply said.

"Make that two minutes, it seems that Colin is a light traveller," Beka noticed as she saw him already returning, carrying only a small bag.

"Let's go see if the revolution has started without us," Dylan offered, as Colin joined them and they left the camp.

* * *

The crowd were cheering wildly and Dani was now down by the side of ring where the fight was in progress. The doctor had made excuses to leave and had asked Dani to cover, she suspected he just wanted a drink or to do something he was not supposed to do but she agreed, knowing she might get the opportunity to speak to Rhade, or at least let him see she was there.

The fight was a tough battle, and Dani didn't recognise Rhade's opponent, but both men seemed to be giving as good as they got. With the med kit in her hand she waited, watching Rhade pummel the opponent now, looking close to a victory and when he extended his bone blades, she waited for the knock down and wasn't disappointed. Suppressing her cheer for Rhade as he sent his opponent to the ground unconscious, Dani sprang into action and waited for the victor to head her way.

After the short victory lap of the arena, Dani saw Rhade approach and it seemed that he had enjoyed his battle but he had also picked up some cuts and bruises along the way. With authority, Dani moved forward and stood before the Nietzschean.

"I need to check his injuries," Dani confirmed and was able to gesture to Rhade to follow her to a smaller infirmary at the arena.

She closed the door and finally they were alone, and she looked at Rhade with sudden uncertainty, as the Nietzschean glared at her.

"I'm here for Harper," Rhade finally spoke. "Where is he?"

"At the palace," Dani responded, and retrieved some bandages to clean the blood from Rhade's face.

"Is he well?" Rhade asked.

"No," Dani replied. "He was attacked today, I am unsure of the injuries, I've been away, but I understand that he saved Yussuf's life," she added.

"He did?" Rhade couldn't hide his surprise.

"I'm not sure if he meant to or not, but he did, an attempt was made and Shay intervened with injury to himself in the process," Dani stated quickly, not knowing how much time they had, as she continued to work. "I do know he's in the palace medical area."

"I need to see him, those were my orders, so can you help me, do you want to help me?" Rhade asked.

"Rhade," Dani spoke with fear as she avoided eye contact. "I think I've made a big mistake."

"Tell me," Rhade wasted no time in demanding an explanation.

"I thought it was the best way but now I see that I messed things up," Dani was close to breaking point, she hadn't been able to talk to anyone about this and now she realised how pent up her feelings had been.

"Just tell me what you have done," Rhade insisted.

"I asked Yussuf if I could have Seamus for my slave, I just wanted him out of that prison," Dani admitted and saw the shocked expression Rhade now wore. "I thought it was the best way, I thought we'd be left alone but Shay has this way of attracting attention, and I should have known it wouldn't work out and now Yussuf has him tagged, and I don't know how we'll get him away from here, at least not alive."

Rhade got to his feet. "Some might say you planned this all along," he remarked calmly, without surprise. "You now have the Commonwealths best engineer under your control, in a situation he can not get out of, and no one can rescue him from," he continued.

Dani was already shaking her head. "No, please, don't think that," she pleaded.

"Why not?" Rhade questioned. "You have made no secret of your allegiance to Yussuf, you seemed to work real hard on winning Harper's trust, more so than anyone else, and now you have him," Rhade stated. "This sob story," he gestured. "Could all be just for my benefit so that I return to the Andromeda claiming you're just as much the victim here, but you don't seem to be in any way restrained, or in distress, and I saw you sat by Yussuf's side very much enjoying the show."

Dani was lost for words now, but she conceded that Rhade was right, how could she defend herself against the truth that she was able to move freely, and sit by Yussuf's side.

"I did not plan this, I want nothing more than to be away from here, and with Seamus by my side," Dani finally said.

Rhade considered her words before speaking. "So prove it, I will return to defend my title at the next fight night and I want you to do whatever you can to ensure I take Harper with me when I next leave," he stressed.

"What about me?" Dani then asked.

"That's up to you, I have the room to take you on the Maru, and I might have the inclination if I get away from here with Harper, alive," Rhade suggested and then left the room.

Dani looked upwards with tears forming in her eyes, that she quickly wiped away as the other now unconscious fighter arrived for her to fix. She was about to start work when she heard her name being yelled, and soon Kane was at the door.

"Kane, what is it?" Dani questioned.

"Come with me, the kludge, we have to help him or Yussuf will have us both shot," he stressed with urgency.

Dani needed no further explanation and she hurried after Kane with haste, leaving the unconscious fighter to sleep his injuries off.

TBC


	33. Part 33

Part 33

The Andromeda seemed even more spectacular today as Beka proudly showed off her decks to Colin, who seemed overwhelmed by what he was seeing.

"And this is command," Beka gestured as the doors slid open.

"It's beautiful," Colin simply stated as they walked forward, and he saw Captain Hunt glance over at him with amusement.

"I never tire of seeing people's first reactions to this place," Dylan spoke up as Colin approached. "I trust you have settled into the guest quarters without a problem?" he asked.

"Everything is perfect, even the company," He smiled towards Beka.

Beka simply laughed dismissively, and then moved to her console to check if there had been any further messages from Rhade. "No word huh?" she sounded disappointed.

"Nothing yet, although it is night where Rhade is, so he may be resting," Trance spoke up, and she saw Colin staring at her again, just like he had when he had first met her at the beginning of Beka's tour.

"Dylan, I think the phrase 'speak of the devil' is applicable here," Rommie spoke up from the view screen. "I have a hail from Rhade, and he wishes to speak to you."

"Put him through," Dylan confirmed with a knowing smile towards Rommie. "Rhade, good to see you," Dylan gestured as his image appeared.

"And good to see my ship is in one piece," Beka added.

"Beka, it's good to see you," Rhade acknowledged brightly, before looking at Dylan. "Captain, I have news," he stated.

"Better be worth it, if those injuries to you face are a result of this information," Dylan offered with a slight concern.

"I am ok, this was self inflicted in a way, but I was able to speak to Dani," Rhade stated with satisfaction at his own work.

Beka looked amused. "Please tell me that Dani didn't do that to your face," she mocked.

"No," Rhade confirmed with an air of annoyance. "I enrolled in a fight night that Yussuf is keen on promoting, and through that I was able to freely speak to Dani, as she was the medic on duty after my bout."

"Interesting," Dylan crossed his arms. "And what did she have to say?"

"And more importantly how is Harper, is he with you?" Beka spoke up urgently.

"Unfortunately he isn't with me, and I wasn't able to sight Harper, but she told me he was at the palace," Rhade stated. "She did not have good news, in fact, she had no good news."

"Go on," Beka spoke gravely.

"It appears she had the idea of requesting that Harper become her slave," Rhade began and already knew how Beka would react.

"Did she now," Beka exclaimed with anger. "Yeah, good idea, let's turn Harper into the one thing that he has feared on the same level as the Magog all of his life, it must be fricking love," she snapped and looked downwards.

"Continue, Rhade," Dylan gestured.

"It would seem rather than keeping him out of trouble, it has done exactly the opposite," Rhade frowned. "It would appear that today he was in a position to save Yussuf's life, and did so."

The Command Deck was silent now, before Colin stepped forward from the shadows. "He saved Yussuf's life, how exactly?"

Rhade was a little taken aback by the new face, but saw Dylan nod his head to answer. "It seems that there was an attempt on Yussuf's life, and Harper intervened causing himself injury but Yussuf now, unofficially it seems, credits Harper with saving his life," he sighed. "Dani believes that to take Harper away from Yussuf now will be almost impossible as things stand."

"I bet she does, she has him right where she freaking wanted him all along, they have the Commonwealths best engineer kneeling at their damn feet," Beka seethed with fury.

"I did confront her on those concerns, Beka," Rhade spoke with care. "She continued to deny my accusations, so I left it that I will return to defend the title I won today during my fight, and I expect to leave with Harper when I am victorious again, with her help."

"Do you think she can help?" Dylan asked.

"She is not a slave or appears to be in any way restricted in her movements around Yussuf's base," Rhade confirmed. "If she truly wants to help Harper, and if she wants us to believe that, she will help us."

"And if she doesn't?" Beka questioned.

"Then she is the enemy and we must treat her as such, in truth if she doesn't help us her actions against Harper far outweigh anything Yussuf has done against him," Rhade considered.

Beka seemed to accept Rhade's words and nodded her head, as Colin stood beside her now. "Your friend, he stopped the rebellion," Colin spoke with confusion, almost in his own world with his thoughts.

"Not now," Beka spoke quickly.

"Rhade, we are heading your way, when is the next fight scheduled?" Dylan asked.

"Tomorrow night, I will rest now and await your call," Rhade confirmed and signed off.

"Dylan, we have to have a plan, we can't rely on Dani," Beka encouraged.

Trance now approached Dylan and calmly stared out to the stars. "I believe Dani will help us," she simply said, and looked at Dylan for his trust.

"Even so, I would still prefer to have a plan B, Trance," Dylan responded.

"Yussuf was supposed to die, and you are planning on saving the guy who ensured he didn't?" Colin spoke with shock.

"Colin, Harper is our friend, more importantly my friend, and we don't know the circumstances and trust me, when it comes to ubers like Yussuf, Harper could teach you a thing or two about hating them," Beka warned and Colin noticeably backed off.

"I think Colin should be allowed to get some food and rest now," Trance smiled and offered her arm for him to take. "Can I walk you to the mess deck," Trance asked, and Colin agreed, still numbed by what he had learned.

"Colin has a point," Beka finally spoke once she was alone on command with Dylan. "Harper has stopped the overthrow of a tyrant, what the hell was he thinking?" she stressed with anger.

"Is his name seriously Colin?" Dylan asked whilst distracted slightly by the work he was doing at his console.

"No," Beka couldn't help but smirk at Dylan's inappropriate question, but she needed the distraction herself after what they had just learned. "He adopted it for a fallen friend," she simply said and paused for a moment to contemplate things. "We have to bring Harper home, I don't care what his actions may have done," Beka stressed.

"Rommie needs him, this ship needs him, the commonwealth needs him with the World Ship so close, so we have every reason available to bring him home, don't worry," Dylan responded, still focused on his console.

Beka simply nodded her head, but she couldn't help the fear she was feeling deep inside that on this occasion Harper could be out of reach, and her anger towards Dani resurfaced with a passion, knowing that there was a possibility now that Dani had all played them for fools.

* * *

Dani hurried behind Kane as they reached the medical area, before she pushed past him to go to Harper's side. He was unconscious and she could see that his breathing was laboured. With urgency Dani cleaned her hands and put on a gown, before she looked at Kane.

"Can you help me?" Dani asked.

Kane didn't respond but did as she had, cleaning his hands and grabbing a gown. Dani immediately set to work on easing Harper's breathing as she hooked him up to respirator, and then she focused on his hand.

"He's lost a lot of blood, why wasn't then cleaned and closed up?" she demanded, but knew that Kane had no answers.

"I guess the doc had other concerns, like encouraging the kludges early death," Kane simply shrugged. "We have suspected that he may be disloyal to Yussuf for a while," he added calmly.

"Yussuf should know about the doctor, but only if we've reached Shay in time," Dani stressed as she worked feverously to save is life. "Hand me that," Dani gestured towards a tray of clips, and Kane wasted no time in handing them over.

"The kludge has nothing to worry about if you keep this up," Kane observed sounding impressed by Dani's work.

"Will you stop calling him that, his name is Shay," Dani returned bluntly, as she took a sample of blood to synthesize, working without pause.

"Sorry," Kane offered, and stared at Dani for a moment. "Look, I was with this kid earlier, and he helped with our mission, cut at least ten minutes either side because of that port," Kane explained. "I don't want him dead, especially after what he did to save Yussuf."

"Saving Yussuf might have been the worse thing he could have done," Dani remarked.

"What do you mean?" Kane questioned. "He's set up for life now that he has Yussuf on side, and he'll see that no harm comes to him and for a kludge, that's a great position to be in with Yussuf."

"I'm a kludge remember?" Dani returned. "Don't try and preach to me about being grateful, about how great my life is 'considering'," she stressed with annoyance. "We are not the scum of this universe, and we do not need handouts to have a good life," she added without thinking, too preoccupied with helping Seamus.

Kane studied Dani some more as she worked, before responding. "I've never heard you question Yussuf before; in fact, you used to always be extremely grateful to him for what he has done for you."

"I still am, to an extent," Dani backtracked quickly glancing at Kane, and then she paused for a moment. "He had a life, Kane, a good life," Dani explained, gesturing to Harper. "This kid, this kludge, he's Commonwealth, and he's no slave to them, he was the chief engineer of the flag ship and one of the best," she said fondly. "Kane, he had status, a place and friends, everything a kludge dreams off, he got that without any help from ubers, and now look at him," she stressed, trying hard to hold on to her emotions.

Kane didn't speak immediately but it was clear he had been unaware of the facts. "That does change things," Kane admitted but his attention was on Dani more than Harper. "I thought he was just some scrap that Yussuf had uncovered from his travels."

"Like me?" Dani questioned and saw Kane look away. "He was part of the crew who took me," Dani continued, and then resumed work, concentrating on closing the wound to Harper's hand, starting with the tendons. "Yussuf thinks that they treated me badly, well they didn't," Dani admitted, her eyes focused on sealing the damage the blade had inflicted. "I had freedom of the ship, my own quarters," she offered, her voice wavering slightly. "Yet, I chose not to say anything, when I so easily could have and maybe could have protected him."

"Why didn't you speak up?" Kane asked.

"Because I was afraid, we were both afraid I guess," She gestured again to Harper, without looking up. "But how could we have been afraid when this is the result of saying nothing?"

"Afraid of what?" a new voice now spoke, and Dani spun around to see Yussuf at the door, and Kane indicated that he had been there for a short while but Dani had no idea how long.

"Yussuf, I thought you were at the fight night," Dani said a little caught out.

"I was, but the talent after that Commonwealth fighter were not up to standard, and then I heard a rumour that your kludge was in a bad way," Yussuf indicated and moved a little forward to see for himself, before continuing. "You say the Commonwealth treated you well, Dani? I saw the marks they left on you, I am not blind."

Dani turned back to treating Harper. "It was Johnson who left those marks, not the Commonwealth," Dani shrugged. "Johnson attacked me shortly after my rescue, and I was afraid to say anything because it further protected what I was more afraid of you finding out," Dani admitted, knowing she could no longer hide the truth. "I didn't want you to find out that I had fallen in love, Yussuf, with someone who isn't you," Dani lightly brushed Harper's upper arm as a machine continued to help the prone human breath.

Yussuf took a deep breath and he wandered over to the cot, looking down on the kludge that had saved his life, and who Dani now spoke of loving, and he discovered that he wasn't surprised, he had suspected something between them for a while.

"Keep working on him, and we will discuss this later," Yussuf declared and promptly left the area.

After a few moments Kane spoke up. "He took that well," Kane observed with surprise.

"Too well," Dani feared. "But he won't let this go so easily," she stated as fact.

"I'm surprised to hear you reveal that the Commonwealth treated you well," Kane observed.

"Why?" Dani had to ask.

Kane just shrugged, but the way he now looked at Dani raised her suspicions, and when he didn't answer she focused on Harper's hand and finished her work.

* * *

"Beka," a voice called out, as she walked to the mess deck.

"Colin, are you still finding your way around?" Beka asked brightly.

"Andromeda has been keeping an eye on me, making sure I don't get too disorientated or lost," Colin responded with a smile. "Speaking of which, the android, how is she?" he asked.

"We're not sure, we need Harper to look at her," Beka responded. "We can't get her systems online, so we think she's burnt out some components playing with electricity."

"About earlier, and Harper, I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn," Colin offered. "It was just a shock to learn that all that planning," he spoke but Beka soon cut him off.

"It's ok, I can't understand why you reacted like you did," she admitted.

"I still find it hard to believe that your friend saved a tyrant like Yussuf's life though," he admitted.

"Harper only makes sense when he wants to make sense, you'll learn that about him and we don't know just how much of a choice he had, do we?" Beka stated as she guided Colin into the mess area. "You heard Rhade, Harper's been made a slave, so who knows what's going on."

"Are you ok?" Colin then asked, seeing a sudden sadness about Beka.

"Yeah," She quickly offered, and took a deep breath as the food suddenly became more interesting to her. She then realised that Colin was still looking at her, waiting for more of an answer. "Harper, his background, being made a slave," she sighed. "Basically he hates slaves, he hated Dani when she first arrived and he hadn't even seen her," she tried to explain.

"When you mention this Dani, I'm right to assume that you do mean Yussuf's little slave, right?" Colin asked with interest.

"The very same, although she told us she's not a slave," Beka answered. "We kidnapped her, tried to get some information from her to possibly help us to bring down Yussuf's little empire."

"You had Dani here?" Colin exclaimed. "How did she escape?"

"Well she didn't, hence how I turned up on your doorstep in that camp, and Harper is now her fricking slave," Beka now seethed.

"That is so typical of what I understand of Dani," Colin casually remarked.

"What do you mean?" Beka questioned quickly.

"The whole irony thing, I've heard Dani is this freak, she loves to get payback but in subtle unusual ways, and that's why Yussuf loves her," Colin shrugged. "She's like a toy, a pet to him, I mean come on, you said Harper hated her for being a slave, and now what is he?" Colin questioned.

"Her slave," Beka agreed, and she had to admit that the thought had more than crossed her mind.

"Look, I don't really know Dani all that well, I don't even know what she looks like, what I know is heresy, heard from the guards," Colin explained as they walked to a table with some food. "I just always got the impression from the guards that they didn't trust or like her, some were even scared of the influence she has on Yussuf, and that she often befriended people to only turn on them later for her own amusement, she's loyal to Yussuf first, no one second."

Beka sat down and settled down before responding. "She had me convinced for a time there, I'll give her that," Beka offered. "I was ready to believe that what she felt for Harper was real, but now," she sighed again. "I just don't know, and I really wish I did know, because at the end of the day I know that Seamus believes she loves him."

"Tough break," Colin responded. "It might be real, they say love is this mysterious concept, can strike at any time," he grinned as he looked at Beka.

Beka smirked and began to eat, watching as Colin began to tuck into his meal, and suddenly realising how comfortable she felt in his company, and how he made things feel different somehow, not as bad as she would normally feel when a friend was in trouble.

"So, what are your plans now?" Beka asked. "You're free now, and you can do what you want, so where can we take you?"

"Anywhere you go is fine by me," he charmed.

Beka just raised her eyebrows, amused by his answer and she then shook her head. "We're heading to Yussuf's place, you sure you want to keep to that answer?" she grinned.

Colin looked a little unsure now, but the grin remained. "I'm willing to take my chances," he offered finally.

"Good," Beka simply said. "Because we haven't got time for a detour, I need to bring my friend home," she stated assuredly.

"I'm looking forward to meeting Harper," Colin simply responded, and continued to eat his meal.

TBC


	34. Part 34

Part 34

Awareness kicked in and the sensation of something covering his mouth caused momentary panic, and Harper tensed up, until a comforting hand was felt on his chest. Harper wearily opened his eyes to see Dani looking back at him, and for a few precious seconds he felt safe. Focusing on his surroundings, it looked like he was back in Dani's quarters, but he vaguely remembered being injured and a medical facility. Harper could feel oxygen being lightly forced into his lungs, and it was a little uncomfortable, so he tried to remove the apparatus that still covered his mouth.

"Leave it, let me get it," Dani offered, and in seconds Harper was able to breath freely on his own again. "How are you feeling?" Dani asked gently.

"I'll get back to you on that," he responded, still disorientated and trying to remember more about his situation, something was eating at him but he couldn't figure what exactly.

Dani's hand brushed the side of his head, and Harper found it a comforting gesture as he sleepily moved his head into her hand. He then remembered the pain he had been feeling when he had woken previously and he realised that he had no feeling in his left hand, and Harper lifted his left arm to see the hand that was heavily bandaged.

"It's ok," Dani assured him.

"I can't feel it," Harper panicked slightly.

"It's healing," Dani stated. "You seriously injured your hand, Shay, but I'm confident that you'll regain movement in it but its too early to say when," she explained calmly.

Harper calmed down only slightly and then looked upwards, his memory replayed the moment he injured his hand and he remembered everything in a flash of memory.

"I saved Yussuf's life," Harper then whispered with horror clear in his voice.

"You did," Dani agreed solemnly. "A real hero now," she added, trying to sound positive but failing.

"But," Harper attempted to speak but Dani was close now, and she made contact with his lips, and they kissed for a moment.

"It'll be ok," Dani then spoke, still close to him. "But you have to trust me."

Harper narrowed his eyes, suddenly suspicious. "What do you mean, what are you going to do now?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dani asked a little taken aback by Harper's words sounding so accusing, as she moved away from him.

"Yussuf told me how you have this unique sense of humour," Harper explained, a little harshly as he remembered everything in a flood of memories, allowing his frustration to his situation show now. "How the fact I hated you as a slave, and now I'm your slave, it is an ironic situation, for a twisted sense of humour," he stated.

"Shay," Dani spoke with confusion. "I know things have turned badly, but I was just trying to help, please, you have to believe me," Dani pleaded.

Harper used his good arm to push his upper body up to a sitting position, and was surprised by the energy he now had, as he swung his legs over to the side of the bed.

"Is it ok to get up?" Harper then thought to ask, his voice cold.

"If you want to, you've rested for a few hours, but just protect the hand," Dani answered, with an equally cold tone, and there was a tense atmosphere between them for a moment as Harper got to his feet.

Harper looked around and saw that he had been in Dani's bed, and not his own. Ignoring this he found some clothes but already knew, with his hand incapacitated, that getting dressed would be difficult.

"Let me help," Dani softly spoke, as Harper attempted to find a way to get dressed.

"I'm the slave, not you," Harper returned, his back to Dani.

"Seamus," Dani said with an air of sadness. "I just want to help," she added, and Harper sensed her move up behind him.

With reluctance, Harper handed Dani his shirt and she gestured to him to offer his arms so she could help him. The grey shirt was soon over his head, and Dani was close as she adjusted it to fall correctly. Harper was trying to ignore her, but he could see that she was upset, and he realised that she was just trying to help.

Without a word, Dani moved and retrieved the rest of his clothes, and quietly continued to assist him. As she finished, she glanced at him, making eye contact for the first time since his accusation. "Go on, say it," Dani spoke evenly.

"Say what?" Harper asked, a little confused by her words.

"That I make a good slave," she stated, as she lightly brushed his clothes to make sure he was properly attired, keeping close contact. "That I'm obviously experienced, that this is all I'm good for, all I deserve to be, because you seem to suddenly know me so well."

Harper looked down, feeling regret for his words now and as she continued to lightly fuss over him his good hand brushed her chin, causing her to stop.

"Sorry," he offered sadly.

"Forgiven," Dani gave him a smile.

"So quickly?" Harper questioned with surprise, but found a smile to her rapid response.

"Shay, I don't know what I have to do, what I have to say to convince you that you have totally turned my world upside down," Dani said with passion. "Before I met you, I was that person Yussuf told you about, and yeah, had you continued to push me away maybe I would have sought revenge in the manner he thinks I have, but Shay, I am so sorry for everything, I know I've messed up," she stressed.

"No," Harper simply said and made sure that she was facing him again. "I know why you did what you did," he explained slowly, his right hand now stroking her arm as they remained close to each other, and Dani's arms snaked around Harper's waist. "You just confuse me."

"Why?" Dani asked with amusement.

"I've never had this before," he offered. "Usually I just want some action," Harper admitted bluntly. "But with you, I'm happy with just your company, plus more, but then you do stuff, you do something that totally throws me but I find that I still like you, I want to be with you, regardless, and well," Harper shrugged. "The idea of being like that with anyone has always kind of scared me," he offered awkwardly, knowing he wasn't explaining himself very well.

"Do I scare you?" Dani asked.

"No," Harper said with honesty. "But I'm your slave, and I'm the one who's messed things up," he stated now with a touch of anger. "I saved Yussuf's life, and I ruined the chance we may have had to leave this place together."

Dani nodded his head. "Do you think that you could live like this?" she ventured, squeezing him slightly as she spoke. "For the rest of your life?"

"Staying here?" Harper checked. "As a slave to Yussuf?"

"As my slave," Dani corrected, but with care, knowing it was a sensitive question.

Harper clearly had trouble with the question and he took a moment before responding, but all the while he continued to stroke Dani's arm. "Yussuf would never let us be anything else," he reasoned, knowing to make whatever they had more public would be impossible, they'd have to have a strictly behind closed doors relationship if things stayed as they were. "Dani, you know I have issues with slavery," he began, and his voice carried a hollow tone.

"I know," Dani agreed, and she rested her forehead against Harper's chest as he continued to speak.

"When I was a kid, my parents," his voice caught in his throat momentarily before he continued. "They were murdered right in front of me," Harper explained softly, and he brought his arms around Dani for comfort now. "They died because some ubers arrived at our home, and they killed them because they were protecting me."

"Shay," Dani could only speak.

"They were protecting me because the ubers had come for me, to take me away," He stated and held Dani closely now.

"They wanted you for slavery," Dani realised.

"I saw them die, watched as the ubers cut them down where they stood, and I vowed, Dani, I vowed that I'd never let their deaths be in vain," Harper stressed now, and Dani could feel his emotions running high now, as she remained in his hold.

"Shay, what have I done?" Dani returned his embrace, and they held each other for a few minutes without word, both troubled by events that had happened.

"I don't blame you," Harper then spoke, breaking the silence between them.

"But," Dani tried to speak but Harper pulled back, so he could look into her eyes.

"In your own way you were saving me too," Harper offered. "I just want you to know that I understand that, it's taken me a while to understand, but I still trust you," he stated clearly. "What I said early, after what Yussuf told me, I wasn't thinking, Dani," Harper shrugged. "I don't know if I can ever accept this, but I do know that I don't want to lose you," he admitted with a heavy heart, and Dani could only respond in one way and she leaned forward to kiss Seamus.

"I don't want to lose you either, Shay, but now I know what you've just told me, I don't want you to be this anymore," she gestured to him, dressed as a slave of Yussuf.

"What options do we have?" Harper asked.

"Two obvious ones, as far as I can tell," Dani admitted.

"One, we do nothing, and we stay like this with only Yussuf knowing the truth but hopefully turning a blind eye," Harper stated. "But we'll be together, in relative safety," he shrugged.

Dani frowned. "Or two, we betray Yussuf, and we kill him ourselves," she said with hushed tones.

Harper took a deep breath, seeing the pain behind Dani's eyes as she revealed their second option. "That's not an option," Harper dismissed quickly.

"He was supposed to die, Shay," Dani argued. "Everyone but Yussuf it seems knew about this, and it would solve all of our problems."

"I won't let you kill the man you love," Harper returned.

"I love you," Dani stressed.

Harper moved away from Dani now, he needed some space. "Dani, we can't let ourselves think about killing Yussuf, I won't let you," he stated.

"And I won't let you consider remaining a slave," Dani protested.

"Then we have no options, and no choices," Harper decided.

"Yes we do, there is a third option," Dani now revealed. "I spoke to Rhade yesterday," Dani saw the reaction from Harper, and she moved closer to him again. "He's got himself involved in the fight program Yussuf runs for entertainment, he returns tonight to defend his title and he told me that if I really wanted to help you that I would allow him to take you back to the Andromeda, tonight."

"What about you?" Harper was quick to ask.

"He said it would depend, but I don't think I can go," Dani admitted. "You saw the efforts Yussuf went to when I was taken before, it wouldn't be safe."

"I don't want to leave you behind," Harper stressed. "Dani, you can't make me go."

"I can," Dani reminded him, and for a moment there was silence between them as reality once again smacked Harper around the face. Dani frowned, moving closer still. "How I see it, Yussuf will be glad to be shot of you, and so long as you don't give him any trouble, he'll let you stay gone and will not come after you," Dani explained. "He has no idea what to do with you right now, you saved his life and he's grateful for that," she began.

"But I'm a kludge and he doesn't want to be grateful to a kludge, or show thanks to me in any way," Harper already realised with bitterness.

"It's bad enough that I slipped under the net," Dani now smiled. "With you as well, and then what we have together, he doesn't want to hurt me, so you've given him a real headache."

"My heart is breaking for him," Harper sneered, and then grinned. "It would almost be worth remaining a slave just to remain his problem," he added.

"Don't even joke about it," Dani stated. "You have to go with Rhade, tonight."

"No," Harper decided. "I'm not leaving without you, and if things stay like this, is it really all that bad?" Harper asked.

"You just don't realise do you?" Dani spoke with sorrow now, and she turned away.

"What?" Harper asked, moving closer to her now and he turned her to face him again.

"A lot of people were counting on Yussuf's death," she simply said, and she brushed her hand through Harper's short hair.

Harper looked troubled, and it was clear that he did understand the situation he was in. "So staying with Yussuf is probably a good idea, right?" he stated, but saw Dani shaking her head.

"A lot of those people are right here, Shay, within this walls just waiting for their chance to step into his shoes," Dani explained with fear. "Johnson was just stupid enough to make the attempt, had he succeeded that would have been the easy part," she sighed.

"So you're saying I'm not safe here?" Harper seemed amused. "Dani, I'm a freaking slave, I'm not expecting to be safe here, but I don't want to be anywhere away from you."

"Don't say it, Shay," Dani then spoke quickly.

"I don't want to return to the Andromeda if it's without you," Harper spoke before Dani could stop him.

There was silence between them until Harper leaned forward and they both kissed, and soon their worries were melting away as they let go and allowed their passion to take over. As they continued to explore their feelings for each other the sound of the door chime sounded, and Dani broke away.

"I'll get it," Harper resigned himself to his role. "And I'll tell whoever it is that their timing sucks."

"Don't you dare," Dani grinned, as she quickly tidied herself up.

Harper walked from Dani's room through to the main reception area towards the door and on opening it Harper was surprised to not see one uber, but it looked like about ten of them were outside. They all piled in, pushing Harper aside and left him looking a little baffled.

Dani entered the room and looked a little concerned. "What's the occasion?" she asked.

"We haven't celebrated," a voice spoke up.

"Rico," Dani spoke with annoyance. "What are we celebrating?"

Rico dashed forward and he sidled up to Dani. "What are we celebrating?" he repeated her question animatedly. "Why the fact that our lovely dictator is still breathing, that's what," Rico exclaimed.

Dani nervously glanced at Harper, but already the rest of the guests had found their places, either sitting down or standing in groups.

"Hey, slave, we need refreshments, this is a party after all!" Rico declared loudly, and Harper hesitated slightly.

"Is there a problem?" another uber asked, moving next to Harper. "We are having a party kludge, all thanks to you, so get us some damn drinks so we can party!"

Harper was roughly pushed forward but he kept his head down, and walked to the serving area to find something to serve, but Dani wasn't exactly stocked up for a party.

"We're waiting!" Rico declared loudly, and put his arm tightly around Dani.

"I don't have much food in," Dani now protested, and tried to remove herself from Rico's hold.

"Well, send the kludge out to get something!" Rico argued with arrogance.

Dani took a deep breath and managed to free herself from Rico after a slight resistance, and she walked over to where Harper waited, and she knew that he was waiting for her orders, unable to work under his own initiative and she saw the frustration in him.

"Go to the kitchens, get some supplies," Dani ordered without enthusiasm, and Harper briefly nodded his head.

"You call that ordering your slave?" Rico now stepped forward, and as he approached Dani he grabbed hold of Harper, preventing him from leaving.

Harper stumbled with Rico pulling back on his shirt and soon found himself stood before Rico, who promptly back handed him, sending Harper's head sharply to the side.

"It's your job kludge to ensure your master is always prepared for guests, you fail in this simple task," Rico took great joy in announcing. "Now go and get some supplies, and be back in five minutes or face the consequences," Rico ordered loudly, whilst everyone else looked on.

Harper glared at Rico but bit his tongue, as he moved away but soon felt his shirt being pulled back again and before he could react, Rico punched him firmly across the face, sending him painfully to the floor.

"You forgot to acknowledge me, kludge," Rico spat.

Harper protected his injured hand as he rolled over, and was glad in part that he had no feeling in it, as he wiped his mouth with the bandage to clean the blood away. He saw Dani moved a little way forward before thinking better of it, and it was as if she could sense that he was on the edge, and very close to losing it with this guy. But Harper remained silent, he had been told that slaves do not speak to ubers and he wasn't going to play this freaks game.

"Get going already, the sight of you disgusts me," Rico finally dismissed and turned away from Harper, as the human staggered to his feet with difficulty.

Harper glanced at Dani, not liking the idea of leaving her with the ubers, especially with the way Rico was getting so friendly with her but he had little choice in the matter. If Harper needed a reminder as to his role now in life, this was it, and he was being harshly reminded as to why he couldn't stay here, and why Dani was right that he had to leave with Rhade, but he didn't want to leave her behind, she was quickly becoming his weakness.

* * *

With urgency he hurried the short distance and reached the kitchens, finding the person in charge, he quickly stated the urgency of his order. Then Harper waited, and became frustrated by the lack of urgency shown by the people present to his situation.

"I need this now," Harper stressed to the main guy, after a couple of minutes had passed.

"I'm going as fast as I can," the man in charge responded calmly, whilst doing nothing more than reading a memo.

"Like hell you are," Harper snapped, allowing his frustration to finally surface.

"Are you questioning me?" the man now asked, he was nothing but an overweight slave, but even he still had authority over Harper for his role in the kitchens and Harper noticeably backed down.

"I'm just making an observation," Harper offered a little more calmly.

"And can I make an observation, runt?" the man asked, as he put his paper down and approached Harper. "You're no hero in my eyes, and you're just a stupid little kludge who deserves what those ubers have in store for you."

"What do you mean?" Harper asked a little apprehensively.

The man then smiled, and it almost made Harper's stomach turn. "Here are your supplies," the man declared and handed Harper four cans of beer.

"What? I need more than that!" Harper stressed.

"That's all I can spare," the man said with far too much amusement in his voice.

Harper picked the cans up. "You know if I go back with just these," Harper began and the man quickly returned his attention back to Harper.

"I'll know you'll deserve what you get," the man simply said. "You ruined months, possibly years of planning."

Harper had had enough, and he slammed the cans down on the table. "You call that a plan?" Harper now demanded, and noticed the kitchen area grow silent around him. "No wonder you're all stuck here as stupid slaves if that's a plan you were counting on," he continued to rage. "Oh I know how to kill Yussuf, let's talk within ear shot of the tyrant and then when he obviously overhears the discussion about killing him, yeah, then we run at him with a knife that even a stupid kludge like me can intercept, yeah great freaking plan guys, good luck with your next one," Harper mocked angrily, and only silence met him now.

The larger man slowly approached Harper, his eyes showing no amusement to Harper's mocking. "The plan was always to attack him on his ship, but we heard that you put paid to that by butting your no good head into the proceedings."

"It was such a fool proof plan that a kludge being ordered to over hear your plans ruins it all so easily?" Harper stood his ground. "I've come across Magog who could have come up with a better plan just out of the stomach!" he bitterly teased now.

It was obvious now that the version of events Harper now spoke off was not the one relayed to these guys.

"The ubers told us," the man began but Harper was on a roll now.

"The ubers told us," Harper mocked in a child like voice. "Well how about a fellow slaves version, that incidentally, for those still able to pay attention, happens to be the truth," Harper snapped.

Harper watched as the man in charge walked slowly to the supplies cupboard and he pulled out three more crates of beer, gesturing to two of his workers to assist in carrying them.

"Thank you," Harper accepted the beer and the help from the two workers. "And for the record, I'm as sick as you that I did what I did, but I did it and I can't change that, it all happened so quick."

"Get out, we've heard enough from you for one day," the man stressed and Harper decided not to argue this time, as he added the first offering of beer to the crate the man now handed to him. Awkwardly, Harper took it all under his arm, with his left hand still not working, and with renewed urgency he hurried back to Dani's quarters.

TBC


	35. Part 35

Part 35

Dylan smiled as Rhade glared at Colin, who was talking to Beka, and occasionally making her laugh. They were all on the Maru now, on the planet where Yussuf was based awaiting the time to leave for that evenings fight night.

"So, Rhade," Dylan stated, to draw the Nietzschean's attention from Beka. "Do you know who you'll be fighting tonight?"

"No, I won't know till I get there, but Yussuf recognised me, of that I am sure," Rhade spoke with slight concern.

"You don't have to do this," Dylan stated.

"I do," Rhade returned. "Dani might be relying on me to return, if her intentions with Harper are good."

"And if they are not?" Dylan questioned. "You could be walking into a trap and Yussuf has had his hands on enough of my crew for one week."

"I can look after myself," Rhade responded.

"And in their own way so can Beka and Harper, but they were still caught by this mad man," Dylan quickly responded. "I don't want you to take any chances, regardless of pride, so if you sense you are out of your depth then get the hell out of there, and if you suspect that Dani is not going to assist us, likewise, the fight is not the important thing here," Dylan stressed.

"Understood," Rhade simply responded, and Dylan looked up to see Rhade was once again distracted by Colin and Beka.

"They are getting on famously," Dylan remarked.

"I don't trust him," Rhade stated firmly. "No one can be Nietzschean and be so non-Nietzschean as well, not for this long, he's up to something."

"Rhade, like you he wasn't brought up in a solely Nietzschean environment," Dylan reasoned.

"Yet I still managed to remember who I was, you never simply forget," Rhade said under his breath.

"Beka told me that his father betrayed him, and he chose to forget," Dylan offered, although no longer looked so convinced.

"That does not happen," Rhade stressed with conviction. "We need to keep a close eye on him, Dylan."

"Bank on it," Dylan confirmed, and his words reassured Rhade as he finally looked away.

* * *

Kane sat calmly as Yussuf paced the area before him, and listened intently to his master.

"How was this allowed to happen, and why have we only just found out?" Yussuf asked loudly.

"Communication was down, and the guards were over run, those who were able to escape have only just made it back," Kane explained with care.

"With that camp gone, all the security I had has also gone," Yussuf said with concern. "Do we have any clues as to who's behind this?"

"We have one clear suspect, your friend Dylan Hunt and the Commonwealth," Kane answered. "Beka Valentine was the last person to arrive at the camp."

"His next target will be that kludge," Yussuf figured.

"The same kludge that saved your life," Kane pointed out.

Yussuf nodded his head. "On principle I owe this kludge for what he did," he explained, and seemed to have difficulty accepting his own words as he stared into the distance. "Though I suspect that will become null and void if he causes me this much trouble by his associations, if his 'friends' continue their efforts against me."

"I suspect his friends won't stop," Kane reasoned.

"They have to learn that he no longer belongs to them," Yussuf frowned. "He is a part of the Yussuf pride now and I look after my own, but for the greater good, I will do what I have to do to ensure that he does not become a liability."

Kane simply nodded his head. "Are we going to take any additional precautions?" he asked.

"Rhade is down to defend his title tonight at the fight night," Yussuf stated, clearly thinking out a plan. "I want additional security, and I want the kludge to become your problem until this threat has passed," Yussuf decided. "Dani is somewhat taken by the kludge," he added with awkwardness in his voice. "Just ensure that things remain as they are right now, I want no surprises, now I am leaving to prepare for the fights tonight," he simply finished, and then left the room quickly.

Kane got to his feet, knowing what he had to do, and he headed off towards Dani's quarters to begin his new mission, knowing he would be babysitting the kludge for at least the next twenty-four hours, with the fights due to begin in less than five hours.

* * *

Harper kicked the door open and almost dropped the crate of beer he had carried with just one arm, the weight on his one arm was unbearable and he couldn't wait to lose the crate, having almost dropped it a number of times already. Behind him two more slaves brought the rest and they quickly dumped the crates where Harper indicated, and promptly left the room.

Glancing around, Harper heard that music had started and the ubers were in high spirits, even before the consumption of alcohol. He then noticed Dani squirming in Rico's hold and it took all his will power not to race over to rescue her from his slimy hands, she seemed to still be in control but only just. Harper knelt down and begun to open the crates as best he could with only one working hand, but he soon felt a presence behind him.

"Is this it?" Rico's voice asked.

Harper slowly got to his feet and turned around, and breaking all the rules he sneered. "Yeah," he answered, and a hushed silence quickly followed.

"You insult me with an answer, and the wrong answer at that?" Rico proclaimed.

"Rico," Dani hurried forward. "Stop this, he's followed orders lets just party, ok, first dance?" she gestured trying to pull him away from Harper, offering herself as a distraction.

Rico just responded by pushing Dani away, and she stumbled backwards into the hold of another uber who grabbed hold of her tightly, then slowly Rico turned back to Harper who clearly objected to his actions. "Is there a problem?" Rico innocently asked on seeing Harper's reaction.

Harper took some needed breaths, he wanted to scream and yell at the uber for what he was doing to Dani, and he had just about had enough of his arrogance. If this uber was simply looking to rile him, then Harper just wanted to cut to the chase, it seemed the whole building knew what Rico had planned, and it involved him and Harper could see no reason to continue to act out this charade. Harper then saw Dani struggling in an ubers hold and found a reason, she looked genuinely scared and he forced himself to calm down, realising that he would achieve nothing by playing into Rico's hands.

"Well?" Rico asked.

Harper just picked up a beer, shook it, and with one hand he opened it and the beer sprayed straight into the face of Rico. There were murmurs of amusement but mostly silence, as Harper tried hard not to grin at Rico, who slowly wiped his face.

Suddenly Rico swiped the can clean from Harper's hold and the can crashed to the floor with Harper nearly losing his balance from the force of Rico's actions. A hand then grabbed his neck and Harper soon found himself backed into the wall, gasping for air as Rico's face almost touched his own.

"Bet you think you're real funny," Rico sneered. "Bet you think you're untouchable, a real hero for saving Yussuf."

"No," Harper responded truthfully.

Rico then grabbed hold of Harper and practically picked him up and threw him across the floor, and the human crashed against the opposite wall with force, stunning him for a moment.

"Well we don't think you're a hero," Rico announced. "In fact, quite a few don't see you as that, quite the opposite."

"You know, I'm really getting that," Harper spoke with tiredness, then regretted speaking as he saw Rico's reaction, Kane's kid brother had none of his elder siblings calmness.

"You dare to speak, after everything else you've done?" Rico loudly asked with amazement.

"Rico, please, stop this," Dani tried one final time to get through.

Instead, Rico paused and turned to Dani, amused by her concern and he glanced between her and Harper, moving close to Dani. "I can smell him all over you, you should be more careful," Rico said with suggestion, and he lightly brushed her face. "I guess your days of being Yussuf's play thing will be over the minute he learns you've been getting it on with that vile piece of trash, oh your days will be numbered, Dani, and not a moment too soon."

"He already knows, and we're still here," Dani defiantly declared, but realised by Rico's reaction that she hadn't helped matters.

"Is that so?" Rico smiled, and it carried a more sinister look now. "The two kludges, together, right under Yussuf's nose and he knows all about it?" Rico then turned to Harper. "You save Yussuf's life and you take his pet?" he questioned. "What, does that make you two even or something?" he questioned Harper now. "You're just a stinking kludge!" Rico then exploded and swiftly kicked Harper in the stomach, and watched as the human doubled over in pain. "Did you save his life so he'd let you have his pet, huh?" Rico then asked, and delivered another kick to Harper's middle, and Harper struggled for breath now as he writhed on the floor, clutching his middle.

Dani momentarily closed her eyes and when she opened them, Rico was stood before her. "You make my stomach turn," he sneered towards her.

"Funny," Dani said with defiance. "Whenever you used to come by my place before you never had a problem with me," she hinted, and there were various hushed voices amongst the gathered people.

Rico moved in close, and he put his hand on the back of Dani's head quickly, before she could shirk away and he got a tight grip on the back of her skull. "When I was with you, I was with you only to defy our leader, laughing at him behind his back, so don't flatter yourself, kludge, I was laughing at Yussuf, while I made out with his pet," Rico grinned. "But now," his grin soon disappeared. "You've really lowered your standards, and it repels me to even touch you now, Dani."

"That started when I agreed to go with you," Dani sneered back and Rico wasted no time in back handing Dani across the face.

Harper desperately wanted to do something, but he had no breath in his body on which to call on, as he desperately tried to recover his breathing. Still clutching his stomach, Harper was struggling to push himself up with the use of only one good hand.

"You know what's wrong with this room?" Rico then declared extravagantly. "Too many damn kludges!" he answered.

He received vocal support for his words, and then Rico grabbed Dani and pulled her close to him, his hands all over her without care. "You are not one of us, Dani, you may have your own slave but now you tell us he's more than that, you are a poor example of a Yussuf pride member," Rico declared. "But don't worry, I'm not stupid, I know there's only one kludge in this room I can touch, if I wish to keep my head."

"You kill me or you kill him, both will result in your head," Dani corrected him. "He owes the kludge his life, and you know Yussuf is a proud man."

"I'm not stupid, Dani," Rico returned. "And who said anything about killing, I just want to give you a lesson on how to look after your slave."

"I don't need a lesson," Dani stated, but it was clear that Rico was no longer listening to her as he pushed her away, and she now watched helplessly as Rico pulled Harper roughly to his feet.

"I want a beer, kludge," Rico demanded.

Harper was only regaining his breath back but he was aware enough to understand the order and he began to move towards the crates, as he moved he suddenly felt his feet come away from under him and he crashed back down to the floor, barely able to protect his injured hand in time.

Around him, Harper could only hear laughter, and he realised that Yussuf had easily tripped him. Harper once again struggled to get back to his feet and now each time he nearly accomplished it, Rico found a way to send him back to the floor, and Harper continued to hear the laughter all around him, he was the entertainment once again.

"Here's your stupid beer."

Harper had heard Dani, and guessed she had retrieved the beer to try and save him further humiliation. For a moment it seemed to have work as Harper was left alone, but it was short lived. Suddenly Harper felt himself being pushed onto his back, and then the stinging sensation in his eyes, and he worked hard to protect himself, as Rico stood over him pouring his beer over Harper's face. Eventually Harper stopped struggling and even managed to catch some of the refreshment.

"I thought this was suppose to be a party," Rico then announced and the music once again blared out, and Harper finally realised he was no longer the centre of attention, and he slowly sat up.

Dani was quickly by his side, and helped him the rest of the way up to his feet. Harper then noticed the bloody nose that Dani was sporting and she quickly tried to wipe the blood away, seeing his attention drawn to it.

"Go play host," Harper simply said, attempting to push Dani away.

"I want to make sure you're ok," Dani insisted.

"Don't make this worse that it already is," Harper stressed, keeping his voice low and he could see that Rico was looking over at them. "Just forget about me and do what hosts do," he stated and moved away towards the serving area.

Harper reached the counter in the serving area, and he had seen that Dani had reluctantly chosen to mingle with her guests. Harper used the time he now had to stretch his aching muscles, and he could feel that at least of couple of his ribs were cracked, and didn't want to know what further damage that was causing to his already injured lungs. Harper was at least grateful that he still had no feeling in his hand, but he could see the bandage was slowly turning red, and he tried to focus on recovering his breath instead.

An uber came into the serving area, and just glared at Harper. The burly man pointed to a beer and Harper attempted to serve it with one hand, but it was clear that it wasn't going to be easy. When the uber felt he was taking too long, Harper found his head forced down onto the counter, and held there by a strong Nietzschean hold.

Without a word the uber took his beer and he then pushed Harper's head down once more against the counter he left the serving area, and Harper to nurse yet another bruise. Harper closed his eyes for a second, and he just wanted the world to open up and swallow him whole.

Three more ubers now entered the serving area and Harper quickly retrieved three cans of beer, this time not even attempting to open them. He just wanted the ubers to leave him in peace for just one minute so he could gather his thoughts, and get his composure back to be prepared for whatever else Rico would throw at him.

The ubers took the beer and looked as though they were about to leave when the tallest of the three grabbed Harper's neck, and squeezed it with ease, catching the human by surprise. Harper instinctively brought his hands up to the ubers and the shock was still clear in his expression, as he tried to pull on the hold a little to ease the restriction, but there was no let up from the Nietzschean.

The ubers just grinned in the face of Harper's struggle for air, as his face turned red and his oxygen levels dissipated. Kicking his legs now, Harper realised they weren't even touching the floor and if this uber wanted, he could probably snap his neck in two without any effort and that thought scared Harper enough to make him start panicking. He may have become a slave, Harper considered, the one thing he always promised himself he would never be, but there was no way in hell that he was going to let himself die as a slave, but at that moment it seemed as though he would die, and now all Harper could think of was dying as a failure and it drained him of the fight, and of his energy as it sapped slowly away by the hand of the uber who grinned back at him.

With so many of his fears being realised at once, Harper's desperation turned to despair, as the reality of the situation really kicked in. He couldn't breath now, there was nothing left and he saw dark spots in his vision as his panic burned at his adrenaline, and his already suffered lungs finally seemed to be giving up on him. At what seemed the last possible moment the pressure was realised and Harper slumped to the floor in a daze, and it took his senses a moment before he started to gulp the precious air back into his body, and then began to cough uncontrollably for a moment.

By the time he was aware again of his surroundings, the ubers and their beer were already gone, leaving Harper to remain on the floor, and continue to take big gulps of air as he tried to recover, and tried not to contemplate just how close he had just come to his death, it was then that Harper realised that a part of him had begun to welcome it, to want it. Curling up on the floor for comfort, the realisation had shaken him, and now Harper battled with his thoughts and emotions, and he just hoped it would all be over soon, one way or another he just wanted it to end.

TBC


	36. Part 36

Part 36

The serving area was quiet as Dani stepped into the room, escaping the supposed celebration party for a moment. Seamus hadn't ventured outside for nearly thirty minutes and she knew it wouldn't be long before that caught Rico's attention. The silence concerned her, knowing that she had been kept occupied by the unwanted attentions of Rico and hadn't been able to keep an eye on what was going on elsewhere.

"Shay?" Dani asked, with her voice filled with concern as she walked, and she realised that she was also filled with fear and she slowly walked further into the room.

Harper had heard Dani's voice but was too preoccupied with his own tormented thoughts to answer, he didn't want her to see him like this but he knew he could do very little to prevent it, and he stayed curled up behind the counter on the floor and out of sight, as he brought his knees up to his chest.

"Shay?" Dani persisted and he heard her come closer, and then her gasp of horror in finally seeing him, huddled on the floor. "What the hell happened?" she demanded, but Harper didn't answer, and he knew she had seen something else to concern her, and he guessed that the uber must have left marks around his neck from the hold, as he could still faintly feel the grip, even if it was mostly in his mind.

Dani crouched down beside Harper, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "This has to end, this can't continue," Dani stressed with fear, but she still failed to garner a response from Harper, who seemed lost in his own thoughts now.

"Seamus, please talk to me," Dani now pleaded, and her hands continued to make contact with him, reassuring him, she wanted some kind of reaction. She looked at Seamus, but didn't want to accept the shell of a man now sat before her, with his eyes so distant and lifeless, and his body all hunched, and in pain.

Dani sighed, this was all her fault and she looked down at the ground until she became aware of someone else in the room, and her heart sank. "Just get out of here, Rico," she demanded, without looking up.

"Is that any way to speak to your superior?" Rico asked arrogantly.

"Go to hell, you're no better than me," Dani spat.

"I'm Nietzschean, and you're a kludge, you do the math, Dani," Rico gestured, and a small crowd was gathering behind the uber now. "I want your slave to serve me."

"Enough, this party is over, so just get the hell out of here," Dani ordered, and got to her feet.

"Your slave needs discipline, I'm not leaving until he learns," Rico said with a sinister tone.

"You've done enough already to let him know that he did wrong, and that he has a lot to learn, any more and you'll kill him, no one wants that especially not Yussuf, so just go," she persisted when Rico made no effort to move.

Rico moved his head to one side. "You know, earlier, I was mistaken," Rico gestured, playing up to his audience. "I do want to kill him, that's the new plan to teach this kludge something about life, he needs to learn that he doesn't deserve it, so step aside and let me finish what I started," Rico said with a tone that made Dani believe the uber's claim, and stand her ground protectively.

"I won't let you do this," Dani stated with strength. "Yussuf will find out and you can't kill us both, you're not that stupid, you're only stupid enough to think you should make one fatal mistake," Dani sneered and within seconds Rico had his hands on Dani, and he pushed her roughly back with force against the wall, ready to attack for her words, he struck her across the face and she cried out in pain.

"No!" Harper suddenly yelled defensively and had found a reserve of energy, and awareness to spring to his feet. Without thinking Harper lunged at Rico, on hearing Dani scream he had been jarred back to reality, and had snapped his attention back to the situation, and now he only saw rage and a need to attack and hurt those who were hurting the one he loved, regardless of the consequences.

"Shay no!" Dani yelled out, but one of Rico's friends grabbed hold of her and restrained her.

Rico was caught off balance only momentarily, and he soon recovered to get an iron grip on the already weakened Harper, simply jabbing his cracked ribs was enough to disable the human, leaving him in agony and an easy target for the uber. Harper soon found that his face was once again making friends with the cold metallic counter surface.

"You really do think you're a hero," Rico sneered with amusement, mocking Harper. "Well I'm tired of your heroics, kludge," Rico revealed the gun he was now holding and he pushed the barrel into Harper's temple. "Open your eyes kludge, make this more fun for me," he ordered abruptly, his actions so intense that it was clear he was going to take some stopping now, and he then pushed down on Harper's head until he opened his eyes.

To Harper surprise when he did open his eyes, instead of firing the uber moved the gun away.

"Keep them open, I don't want you to miss this," Rico grinned with menace. "Killing you is proving too easy, I want to see you suffer first and I want everyone to know I did this, so let me sign my work," Rico said cryptically.

"No," Dani's voice was filled with fear now. "Rico, don't, please," she added until a hand was placed over her mouth, but it was clear she knew Rico's intentions, and Harper was still completely clueless as he was forced to look down at the reflective surface.

"Dani, you think I'll go to all this effort and not let people appreciate my work?" Rico mocked.

Dani struggled enough to lose the hand over her mouth. "You said you're going to kill him anyway, so why bother doing this as well?" Dani protested, before the hand was returned to silence her.

Harper showed confusion until he heard the weapon discharge, then a flash of intense light followed by a blinding pain that seemed to engulf him. Confusion followed for a time, and it took a moment for Harper to register the pain and determine the source, and then he realised that everything had gone dark around him and that he hadn't been shot.

With a delayed cry of pain, Harper clenched his eyes tightly shut but he couldn't move in Rico's forced hold that still held him down against the counter and he now desperately wanted to try and soothe the pain he felt from his eyes. The realisation began to slowly hit him, his eyes stung, and it wasn't completely registering, but in his heart of hearts he knew that he had been blinded by a weapon discharge, or more rightly the kick back from that discharge.

Rico must have fired a shot off the metallic work surface, and his face had been too close as the discharge exploded against the surface just millimetres from his eyes that had bore the brunt of the kick back as a result.

He hadn't been shot, but Harper had suffered something just as bad when dealing with weapons, he had been too close to the shot and now his eyes were obviously damaged, most probably beyond repair. How many people regained their sight after suffering a kick back injury, Harper knew of none, and his eyes and face now felt like they had been burned, to his surprise his eyes still managed to produce enough moisture to tear up however, but the tears stung painfully as they filled his sore eyes, and began to fall.

"Aw, see the kludge cry," Rico relished the pain he saw in the humans expression, and Harper felt his body being lifted up now, and then he was backed into the wall.

Everything was dark, Harper couldn't make out anything, and he could only barely sense the people around him now. The pain was too much for him to be able to focus, until he felt a cold sharp object pressing into his neck.

"Now, kludge," Rico spoke calmly. "I'm going to do a mercy kill, after all you are blinded, wounded, crippled," Rico stated, and even though Harper had no feeling in his left hand he just knew that the uber was holding his left hand up for a moment. "It's for the best, you're beyond help, you can't be a slave in this condition, you're of no further use to anyone like this, not even yourself, so I'll be thanked for my quick thinking, putting the stupid kludge out of his misery," Rico explained with sudden care. "So kludge, as a final act, I want you to thank me for volunteering to kill you."

"Rico," Dani's voice sounded distraught. "Please, just go, stop this," she now begged, and Harper could hear the distraught tones.

"Kludge, I want to hear you ask me to kill you, plead for me to take your life and put you out of your misery," Rico declared and pressed the knife further against Harper's skin.

Right that moment Harper did want to die, Rico was right, what use would he be to anyone, even himself now? But there was no way that he was going to give Rico the satisfaction of knowing that he had broken him, Harper never thought he'd be this weak, to welcome death, to let someone do this to him but here he was, wishing for the end to come quickly, but if it was going to happen, it would be on his terms, Harper stubbornly decided.

"Go to hell," Harper managed, a last thread of defiance, and he felt the knife press even further in. He knew soon it would be over and Harper began to relish it, he couldn't be blind, a cripple, and a slave, he had lost everything.

"Shay," Dani's voice interrupted his self pity, enough for Harper to be reminded of one thing that he still had.

"Ask me to kill you," Rico then demanded.

Harper still wanted to die, and he couldn't help those feelings as they slowly consumed him once again, but to die like this, as a slave at the hands of an uber, with the injuries he had, he didn't want to die like this, and Harper kept thinking 'not like this' over and over in his mind like a mantra.

Rico was growing tired of his silence and Harper felt the knife pressing deeper, now certain he must be drawing blood now, but his senses were shot and he couldn't register anything but his own despair.

"Very well, you are only proving how stupid kludges truly are, I will just have to kill you and then you can thank me later from whatever cesspit you find yourself in, after you enter the hell that will be your afterlife," Rico arrogantly explained, and Harper felt the blade move away from his neck, imagining Rico drawing it back for the final blow, ready to so easily end the human's life.

There was suddenly a flurry of noise and activity, as Harper imagined Rico bringing the knife back down and into him, but it never happened, and Rico now seemed distracted by the noises behind him and Harper had no idea what was happening.

"Rico, no!" Kane yelled with enough force to make Rico instantly let go of Harper, and turn to his older brother.

"We all want this," Rico stressed with passion. "You know what this kludge did!" Rico then yelled in defiance.

"And I know what Yussuf will do to you, Rico, and I won't let you die at the hands of that monster, and not over a kludge," Kane returned strongly and his words seemed to have an effect on his kid brother.

"But," Rico attempted.

"No buts, Rico, not like this," Kane spoke, and Harper noted the words the uber had used, matching his own mantra that he continued to inwardly chant.

Rico put the knife down, and slowly he walked closer to his brother as Harper was left to slide down the wall behind him. "Why?" Rico then asked with a calmer air.

"I've been asked to protect the kludge, and if you killed him on my watch, you know what I would have to do, and I will," Kane explained with authority. "There will be other times, other opportunities, but right now, get the hell out of here and take your circus with you," Kane ordered.

Rico glared at his brother, but the respect was obvious and slowly the gathered people, with Rico, left the serving area and Dani's quarters, bringing the party to an end finally. There was silence now, but soon Dani was by Harper's side, and she immediately reached for his face to check the damage to his eyes.

"Shay," Dani spoke with concern, searching his expression for something but her eyes couldn't help but see the scattered burn marks that covered his face.

"It's no use," Harper was already shaking his head. "Just finish the job Rico started," he said between short despairing breaths, with his emotions high. "He was right, I can't see, and I have lost the use of my hand, what good am I?"

"Don't talk like that, Shay, this is not the end, ok?" Dani insisted. "Come on get up, we're going, I've had enough of this, all of this ends right now," Dani ordered and she had to force Harper to get his feet with her assistance.

"What are you doing?" Kane then asked.

"I'm taking him to a place where he will be safe, Kane, and don't try to stop me," Dani responded firmly.

"I can't let you take him anywhere, he stays here until I say so," Kane stood in her path.

"Kane, you know he's as good as dead here," Dani stressed. "On the Andromeda he has a chance."

"The Andromeda?" Harper spoke up wearily, clearly only catching onto a bit of what was happening around him from his darkened world.

"I'm not going to let you do this, Dani," Kane returned with authority. "Yussuf will see this, he'll help him, and then he'll ensure the boys safety from now on, but when he finds out that you've betrayed him, Dani," Kane showed some concern towards her. "It's not the wise move, he wants the kludge to stay, he's a part of our pride now, Dani, he doesn't belong to the Andromeda anymore."

"He never belonged to the Andromeda in the first place, he served the crew, his choice, his decision, he was a free man, Kane," Dani snapped angrily.

"Even so," Kane seemed unfazed by Dani's passion. "It's my job to look after him until the threat passes."

"Threat? Kane, look around you, if it's now your job to protect him then you'd help me," Dani stressed. "He's not safe here!"

"Yussuf," Kane began but Dani soon cut him off.

"I don't care what Yussuf wants," Dani snapped harshly. "And Kane, you can't stop me," Dani argued and pushed past Kane, who did little to try and stop her.

"I know the truth," Kane spoke up now.

"That me and Shay love each other?" Dani questioned. "Big deal, I know you were there when I said it!" she snapped, and kept moving to the door, assisting Harper who remained silent beside her.

"I know you, Dani, remember?" Kane now spoke. "I've watched you grow up, hell I used to baby sit you, I've seen you become the asset to this pride you are, helped that to happen," Kane called after her. "And I know you no longer have your problem."

Dani now stopped, and she gently encouraged Harper to rest on a nearby couch before she turned to Kane who had walked towards her. "What do you mean?" she asked with surprise.

"I know the truth," Kane simply said. "Took me a while to figure it out, but I've known you since you were a girl first dealing with your problem, Dani, and then I saw how confident you've been since you returned, you've been different, acting different although not enough for everyone to notice, I did however, but I couldn't work out why," Kane explained. "And then you told us about your time on the Andromeda."

Dani looked uncomfortable now, as she avoided eye contact with Kane, but he continued regardless. "By my calculations you shouldn't have remembered anything from your time on the Andromeda until tomorrow, yet, you knew they treated you well, and by that I made a logical leap, they treated you well, and they fixed your problem like the good people they supposedly are."

"That's quite a leap," Dani tried to sound indifferent.

"Do you remember, Dani?" Kane now questioned, stepping closer. "Have you regained the use of your short term memory?" Kane asked again, when Dani offered him very little. "Because you don't seem to be as forgetful as I remember, you nearly had me fooled, but only nearly."

"What does it matter?" Dani now returned.

"It matters," Kane stressed. "The only thing that was keeping you alive was your skill at being able to be discreet, to be the ultimate information carrier, but already since your return you've been anything but discreet," Kane gestured. "You took this kludge as your slave, why would the old Dani do that, take such a stupid risk?" Kane asked. "And technically you shouldn't have had any idea who the hell he was, but the impression I got was quite the opposite."

"Ok, enough already," Dani snapped.

"But I really could go on," Kane now enjoyed his moment.

"Just let me go, please, Shay has done nothing to deserve losing so much, give him a break," Dani's voice was quieter now, less confident.

Kane seemed to be considering her request. "Dani, I've never seen you act so foolish, taking so many risks, and you know I have always felt sorry for you. I knew what had happened to you, what Yussuf had done to you and I'm pretty sure you know too now, hence your attitude change towards him," Kane gestured. "I saw how you were forced to live with the injury you never really had, but now you've been fixed, I'm happy, but I now see what benefits having that brain injury was to you, and how it was keeping you alive."

"You knew about it, that it wasn't real?" Dani now said with suppressed anger. "Gee, well thanks for telling me, I thought we were friends."

"And I thought you were giving orders, given a mission and this is how you think it should be concluded, all messed up like this?" Kane returned. "You had orders, Dani, a responsibility to infiltrate that Andromeda crew for Yussuf, to make nice with one of the crew and unsettle things and you succeeded," Kane stressed.

"Don't Kane, just shut the hell up right now," Dani asked with force, unable to deal with his accusation.

"You succeeded in your mission, Dani," Kane persisted, with care. "So I suggest you walk away now and let me take over, hand the kludge to me and forget about him," Kane glanced at couch. "It seems that you brought a valuable member of that crew back to us, as ordered, in fact you've surprised us all, its not often a kludge is what we have in mind for these missions," Kane gestured to Harper on the couch, although it wasn't clear if the human was listening or sleeping. "You know that we doubted you, its why Yussuf agreed to making him a slave, we thought you'd slipped up, but when we used him for that mission, where we used his port it showed us how your magic had worked once again."

"I didn't plan for any of this," Dani said softly, her eyes focused on Harper now, who was lying down but she was unable to determine if he was listening, his eyes were closed and he was still but she couldn't be sure.

"You knew your orders, Dani, and you knew what you have to do, don't try to deny it," Kane stressed. "So, let me take the kludge, he's become too much of a distraction to you and I would suggest you think hard about getting your head fixed again, I'm sure the good doctor would obliged once more."

"No!" Dani stressed with disbelief at the suggestions. "Let me take Shay away from here, please, tell Yussuf he died from his injuries, it's not beyond belief, please, do this and then I'll follow your suggestions to the letter, I promise."

"The universe hates me," Harper spoke up from the couch, clearly distressed now and obviously awake, even though his eyes remained closed and he was still laid down. "Why me, why do I always fall for this, I thought you were different, I let you in," he continued, seemingly talking more to himself, but Dani knew he was talking to her. "Well now I have nothing, it's all gone, everything," he stated and moved his head slightly to the general area where Dani and Kane stood. "Just kill me now, please, your talking is keeping me awake anyhow, you'll be doing me a favour," he stated sadly.

"No, Shay, don't say that," Dani quickly spoke, and she moved to his side, encouraging him to sit up. "I told you my mission, and you know that I fell for you before I realised what my mission was, remember?" she stressed, tears now forming in her eyes as the situation began to fall apart around her.

"Yeah," Harper managed, his eyes were open now, unfocused, and bloodshot with the surrounding area swollen by the kickback burns he had received from the discharge of the gun. Uncertain, Harper tried to remember. "But I was still your mission, and I'm here, a slave, a stupid kludge," Harper simply said after a moment.

"Seamus, wasn't I your mission too? So what's the problem?" Dani stroked his face, wishing he could look into her eyes and see the truth. "I had no choice, and I never have had, it's why you have to leave, and why I have to stay here," she explained. "Shay, none of what we've shared has been faked, or has been for any mission, please believe me," she said sincerely. "I want to get you away from here because I love you too much to see you continue to suffer here."

"I'm not letting you take him anywhere," Kane insisted, moving forward.

Harper leaned into Dani's touch but it soon disappeared, and he was flung mentally back to the lonely darkness around him. He could hear Dani talking, and then Kane, it was heated, but then there was silence, and he tried hard to determine what was going on around him.

"Dani?" Harper spoke up after a moment, his fears rising on hearing nothing but a dull thud. "Dani?" he now spoke with a greater fear, his movements edgy now, and the dull thud he had heard, he realised that it sounded like that of a body falling to the floor.

"It's ok, Shay," Dani insisted suddenly, surprising Harper. "Now we must go."

"What did you do, what happened to Kane?" Harper asked incredulously.

"It's not important, we don't have much time, I have to get you to safety," Dani encouraged, and she helped Harper to his feet and they quickly left her quarters.

* * *

Dylan allowed himself some time to admire the sun set as he stood outside the Maru, and admired the view that the planet afforded him. They were an hour outside of the city where Yussuf reigned, and soon Rhade would begin his journey to defend his title. It had been a long day as they waited for the sun to set, knowing that somewhere ahead in the city they could just make out was Harper, and they all sensed that he was in need of their help.

With a frown, Dylan wasn't entirely sure that he wanted Rhade to return to a Yussuf stranglehold, especially if news of the camp being disbanded had reached the planet, and he suspected it must have by now. It was a risk, a big risk and so he had decided that he would accompany Rhade, support in numbers and if they were aiming to bring Harper back with them, they needed to be able to think of their feet and Rhade couldn't be expected to do that alone.

His mind wandered back to the immediate threat that the world ship was offering them, and he knew what was left of the Commonwealth were demanding his full and total attention on that, rather than his focus on this mission to rescue his engineer, but Dylan also knew that they would need Harper, and this mission was very relevant to their future

"Hey, Rhade is about ready to go, are you?" Beka asked brightly.

"Yeah," Dylan confirmed and drew his attention back to his surroundings.

"I'll stay here, so you better keep in contact," Beka stressed. "It's taking all of my will power to not run off right now and try and locate Harper myself."

"Stay focused, we need you here just in case we need a quick exit," Dylan reminded her.

Beka smirked. "Trance has already told me that she will knock me out if I try and disappear, and I have Colin to entertain me," she grinned.

"He's quite taken by you," Dylan agreed.

"Quite a lost little puppy isn't he," Beka joked, and crossed her arms.

"He's still a Nietzschean, so just watch yourself," Dylan said getting all fatherly with Beka.

"I'm a big girl, I know what I'm doing," Beka assured him. "Now get going and bring that little psychotic engineer back that we miss so much, preferably in one piece," she lightly ordered.

Dylan saw Rhade and moved towards him. "Wish us luck," Dylan simply said before the two men began their trek towards the city.

TBC


	37. Part 37

Part 37

Dani guided Harper's good hand to the wall, and she tried to ignore his uncertainty and fear that she could feel from him, and as they had walked she had felt him shaking slightly.

"Stay here, Seamus, we're at the medical centre, I just want to give you some painkillers, and put some drops into your eyes," she informed him, not knowing what thoughts must be going through his head right now. "We should be ok though, most of the palace flunkies are at the fight night."

"Dani," Harper then returned, his voice shaking and unsure, his posture showing his uncertainty without sight. "What's going on, what are you doing?"

"Just fixing you up," Dani returned as she gathered the materials she needed.

"I mean," Harper emphasised now. "Where are you taking me?"

"To a place where friends can find you," Dani simply responded.

"I told you I don't want to go," Harper stressed, his emotions obviously controlling his thoughts. "Look at me, Dani, please don't leave me, I have nothing now except you."

"I saw you back there, Seamus," Dani spoke as she approached him. "There is no way in hell that you're staying here for that kind of abuse," she explained but saw that Harper was about to protest. "No, Shay, you stay here you'll never regain use of that hand, or your sight, if you stay alive long enough that it," she said with anger. "Don't you see they will never let up on you?" she stressed with care.

"No I don't see, that's just it," Harper said with his voice wavering, and with sadness as he let his head fall back against the wall.

Dani caught her own words, and felt guilt at his response, with a softer voice she spoke again. "You saving Yussuf, that was just an excuse for these people, and they'll find any excuse from now on to continue until they do kill you, and not even Yussuf will be able to protect you from that," Dani stressed. "You heard Kane, he told his kid brother there will be other opportunities to kill you, and he's one of the good ones," Dani said with passion, her hands now resting on Harper's arms.

Harper's eyes were watering now, and Dani was close to tears herself, seeing him like this, so beaten, in so much pain and his emotions distraught. "Shay, think of your friends, think of what they are going through right now, Rhade is right this minute preparing to go in the ring simply because there's a possibility that he might be able to bring you home, home Shay, your home on the Andromeda, focus," Dani insisted strongly. "Think of Trance, Beka and Rommie, your girls, right?" Dani brightened, so desperate to make Harper think clearly.

"My girls," Harper repeated with false amusement. "They don't know, Dani, they think they are rescuing something else, not me, what freaking use can I be to them now?" he asked with despair. "I can't do anything, Dani, I can't even be a freaking slave now!" he broke down, and Dani took hold of him, supporting his body as Shay appeared to give up.

"Please, Shay, as much as it's good for your eyes for them to be watering, I really don't want to see you like this, not now, not if," Dani paused now, realising her own words before speaking them.

"Not if, what?" Harper caught quickly, between sniffs.

"It doesn't matter, let's just get you fixed up," Dani confirmed and encouraged Harper to lean against the wall, and then she smirked. "You know when we first met, and we first explored our feelings," Dani offered, wanting to distract Seamus, and change the subject. "You kept saying I was the mission and that's why things were awkward, well Shay, you were my mission too," Dani shrugged, knowing Harper could only determine her feelings from the sound of her voice, without sight to show him her expressions.

"But only by accident," Harper stressed. "You said, you told me that you fell for me before you realised your mission," Harper panicked slightly, after everything else the last thing he wanted to learn was that he had been taken for a ride after all, and that all this could have been avoided, Harper stopped that chain of thought, it was too much for him to even consider.

Dani took a deep breath, but didn't respond to Harper, and instead focused on treating him. "Look upwards, I'm going to put some drops in your eyes," Dani said as she put her hand on the side of his face.

Harper grimaced as she applied the drops, and then blinked rapidly as Dani turned her attentions to his hand, and she carefully checked the damaged, seeing the blood soaked bandage.

"We haven't got time to redress this, but I really hope that Trance can do something for you," Dani said sadly.

Harper was silent in his thoughts now, as he occasionally wiped his sensitive eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, despite Dani's objections. The darkness was the worst feeling, and he felt so alone at that moment, even in Dani's company. Being unable to see was unnerving, lonely, and he was now unsure of what he wanted, he was in no hurry to decide and if he had his way he would just curl up now and wait, or better still die. But Dani had forced him to start thinking of the Andromeda, of Trance, Beka and Rommie, of his life before, even though his thoughts were still consumed with Dani. He couldn't see beyond that moment anymore, his life as he had known it was over, and now it seemed even Dani was giving up on him, and he saw no reason not to give up on himself too.

"Hey," Dani's voice was heard, and she seemed to be in front of him now. "This is going to hurt, sorry, but you know I have to do it."

"Do what?" Harper questioned, but he then felt his shirt being lifted up and over his head, and then an injection to his shoulder. "The slave chip?" he guessed.

"It's going to leave a mark, I know, but we won't get far if you can be traced," Dani explained. "And even with the injection it will hurt, but I put it there, and now I'm going to be the one to remove it."

"What's the point?" Harper responded evenly.

Dani loudly sighed, and Harper once again felt her hand on his cheek. "Seamus, I'm so sorry, this is entirely my fault, but please don't give up because of me. Your injuries are bad, I know and I won't lie to you, but I see no reason why you can't make some form of recovery, I just can't tell you how much, but don't give up, please?" Dani asked with care, her voice soft and Harper could feel that she was close to him.

Harper frowned as he now considered what she was going to do, he had grown up seeing the scars of ex-slaves, mocking them, sneering at those who had them, and now he'd have one of his own. A part of him almost stopped Dani proceeding even though he knew that it was better to have been a slave than to remain one, and if he was to die now, it wouldn't be as a slave at least. What had his life come to even be thinking like that, Harper considered with shame, thoughts of his mom and dad haunting him now.

"You ready?" Dani checked, sensing how subdued Harper was becoming.

"Do it," Harper simply said and he tensed on feeling a sharp pain, as Dani dislodged the chip and within seconds another harsher pain cursed through his upper body before Harper heard metallic hitting against the counter top, and he glanced down to see the small bloody chip on the side.

"Welcome back to freedom, Seamus," Dani confirmed, and he felt a bandage being strapped to his back over the wound.

"You can't tell me what to do anymore," Harper said with little enthusiasm.

"You're still leaving, Shay, you're not stupid, so you must realise this," Dani said with conviction as she tidied some things away, and then helped him put his shirt back on. "Now let's go," Dani grabbed his arm and with urgency she guided Harper out of the room, but Harper resisted. "Shay," Dani instantly complained.

"You tell me to focus on my friends, well what about us?" Harper asked, with his eyes unfocused, looking past Dani unseeing. "Is this it?"

Dani's silence was torment for Harper, he had no way of knowing how she was reacting to his words, and her touch offered him nothing but resistance to his question as she seemed eager to keep moving.

"Was it real?" Harper now asked with confusion.

"Not here, Shay," Dani stated, and she pulled him along now with force, and when they heard voices Harper felt himself being pushed against a wall, and told to be quiet. They began moving again a few minutes later, and Harper felt disorientated, not knowing the terrain or even being able to guess. It felt as though they were outside the palace now, and they were moving quickly across level ground that rapidly turned to rougher terrain. "Down," Dani hissed and Harper felt himself being pulled down, and clumsily he found himself on his knees and then pushed further back.

There was silence initially, and Harper was on edge, unable to determine the threat, or anything of his situation. The adjustment to being sightless had yet to kick in, and Harper was still struggling to use his other senses to compensate, it all felt so frantic that all he knew was that his anxiety was sky high.

Harper then felt a hand on his face, Dani's touch and he leaned into it on instinct, she still was able to calm him just with touch, and Harper had no idea how she had become so much of an influence on him. Then he felt her lips on his, and they kissed, and in seconds everything felt good again, but only for a split second, when all the anxiety and fear momentarily disappeared as he eagerly returned her advances.

"Shay, I love you, I've known from the moment I met you that I could fall for you and I did, but don't ask me to explain," Dani then spoke with sincerity.

"Don't leave me," Harper sensed in her voice that she was building up to something that he didn't even realise he had feared so much.

Dani's face was still close, close enough for Harper to continue stealing small kisses but it was now becoming clear by her actions, by the tears he could feel against his own skin that fell from her face, that the inevitable was about to happen.

"I can't go with you, my place is here, and your place is up there, we've always known this and nothing we can do will change this," Dani said with amazing calm.

With everything else that had happened, this was the final straw, how much had he lost? His dignity, his pride, his freedom, his ship and friends, his sight and the use of his hand, and now he was losing Dani and Harper wasn't even able to look her in the eyes, to see her one last time.

"Shay, please," Dani's voice broke through, maybe she had continued to speak but he no longer listened. "Not like this," he heard and where he guessed Dani was, he stared.

"I love you," he finally spoke, and he felt Dani embrace him tightly and he returned it with as much gusto, until he felt a something press into his neck.

"You'll be safe now," Dani assured him, the last words he heard before falling into a forced deep sleep.

* * *

Dylan Hunt stayed out of sight, high in the rafters of the arena he scanned the crowd and soon located Yussuf, sat in all his pomp and fancy with a melee of servants by his feet. For a moment Dylan feared seeing Harper as one of the slaves, but the engineer was no where to be seen, and Dani was also absent.

Checking the schedule, Dylan knew that Rhade's fight was up next and he moved to a place where he was able to sit down, and he hoped the Nietzschean would know when to stop, so far they had seen no sign of Dani, and certainly no sign of Harper, and they had nothing to go on.

"Ladies and gentleman, there has been a change to the schedule, T. Rhade is now unable to fight, and has been replaced," the announcer spoke loudly, the crowd jeered in reaction.

Dylan didn't need to hear anymore, he was already out of his seat and moving to find out what was going on.

"Captain Hunt."

Dylan looked to the shadows, and he recognised the voice. "Dani?"

"Seamus is in a bad way, physically and mentally, you have to get to him before Yussuf's goons do," Dani simply said.

"Where is he?" Dylan asked.

Dani stayed in the shadows. "I'll take you part of the way, but you have to follow me now, no delay."

"What about Rhade?" Dylan looked around, not knowing what had happened to his crew mate.

"Rhade's a good distraction for us right now, if you help Seamus, I will do what I can to assist with Rhade's escape," Dani said with caution.

Dylan showed his concern. "His escape?" he checked, only barely seeing Dani in the shadows.

"Kane intercepted Rhade before he could fight, he's being questioned about Seamus's disappearance," Dani informed him. "I took Shay from here over an hour ago, and now you must take him the rest of the way, to his home on your ship, you have to help him," she stressed.

"You're asking me to put one crew member ahead of another, can I really entrust you to help Rhade when it's taken you this long to help Harper?" Dylan questioned firmly.

Dani noticeably flinched. "I thought I was helping him and I was wrong," she finally spoke. "Please, follow me, we don't have much time, Kane has search parties looking for Shay right now."

Dylan hesitated and glanced around, and then with some doubt he moved towards Dani and they both disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Kane paced the holding cell and glared at the man they had apprehended in the changing rooms before his scheduled fight, Telemachus Rhade of the Andromeda Ascendant.

"You have not seen Dani at all since you arrived?" Kane checked, suspecting that Rhade had played some part in Dani's disappearance with the kludge, he had woken up after being drugged by something, he wasn't out for long possibly only fifteen minutes but he had been unable to locate Dani or the kludge since, and it had been over an hour.

"I haven't seen Dani in the past week, I have not seen Dani since you kidnapped our crew," Rhade returned with a white lie, not mentioning his talk with her the previous day, and with some attitude he stared at Kane whilst sat on a chair in the middle of the room.

Kane simply observed the Nietzschean as he glared at him, without warning Kane brought his hand back and hit Rhade across the jaw, sending his head sharply to the side. "Are you speaking the truth?" Kane asked with anger.

"Yes," Rhade returned with strength. "Why, have you mislaid her again?" Rhade taunted, and received another blow across his jaw for his efforts.

Kane then heard a light knock at the door, and he turned in time to see Dani enter the room.

"Correction I have seen her, she's right there," Rhade helpfully pointed out, briefly smiling to the annoyance of Kane, who predictably backhanded Rhade for a third successive blow across his face.

Kane then wasted no time in grabbing hold of Dani and marching her from the room to get some privacy from Rhade.

"You are this close, Dani, this close to me reporting everything to Yussuf about your actions this past week, and don't think I won't," Kane stressed in a hushed voice.

"If your so close, then why haven't you already, why the circus with this stupid interrogation of the Commonwealth uber?" Dani asked calmly.

Showing a frustration Kane went to back hand Dani, but her stare stopped him, and he instead brought his hand calmly down and sighed.

"Let Rhade go, please," Dani asked with care, sensing she could get through to Kane.

"I take it you won't tell me where the kludge is?" Kane wearily spoke.

"You know what I have done is the right thing for all of us, Yussuf no longer has the problem, you no longer have the problem, and I," she hesitated suddenly. "I no longer have the distraction," Dani shrugged, her voice still low and she used the back of her hand to wipe her eyes that had suddenly threatened to water.

"You really cared for him didn't you?" Kane observed, and brought his hand to Dani's face.

"Like I've never cared for anyone before," Dani freely admitted, attempting to smile and show she was ok, and failing. "But he's gone now, and if I see him again it'll be too soon as things stand right now."

"I have to keep Rhade here," Kane then spoke. "We can create a more convincing story to Shay's disappearance if we keep the commonwealth Niet here."

"You called him by his name," Dani noted with surprise, and then a brief smile.

Kane looked down for a moment. "Now that I know you weren't messing with his head, like with the others, it feels only fair," Kane explained with a shrug. "And I guess I can't persuade you to get all friendly and back to business like with Shay's crew mate in there?" Kane gestured to the holding cell.

Dani allowed a heavy sigh. "I just want all Commonwealth out of here and out of my sight," she admitted. "If I see Rhade he'll just remind me every time of what I don't have, and trust me, if I try anything now with Rhade in that sense, he'll see right through it, he saw how I was with Shay, and I can't risk that getting back to Shay, not with one of his own crew mates," Dani gestured with care.

"You got it bad, huh?" Kane realised, and he put his arms around Dani to embrace her. "But I'm keeping my prisoner, I'm sorry but it was my job to protect Shay for Yussuf and I've failed him because of you, so I have to have to have something, Dani."

"Then we'll never lose the Commonwealth's interest in us, you've seen the efforts they go to in retrieving a kludge, what do you think they'll do for an uber?" Dani questioned.

Kane noticeably reacted to her observation with concern. "Then how else can we explain Shay's sudden disappearance to Yussuf?"

"We don't," Dani suggested. "I'll tell Yussuf I got bored of him as a slave, and had him banished to the mines to learn discipline, Yussuf will never know."

"Dani," Kane looked upwards. "You know Yussuf likes to play games, and he knows that by having Shay here, he can taunt the Commonwealth, and when the Commonwealth suddenly stop responding he will demand why, and he will find out that Shay is back with them."

"Then we only have one other option," Dani stated calmly. "We have to make it look as though Rhade has rescued Seamus."

"And how do we do that?" Kane asked.

"First you have to knock me out," Dani revealed. "Make it look bad, and then you pick a fight with Rhade, and then let him go to return to his ship, the rest will then fall into place."

Kane looked upwards, clearly uncomfortable with the suggestion. "I'll do it on one condition," Kane then stated.

Dani took a deep breath. "I'll do it," she simply said.

"You don't know what I'm asking yet," Kane objected.

"You want me to get my head fixed again, like before," Dani responded, and it was clear that she was right by Kane's reaction.

"I care for you Dani, maybe in a strange way but I do," Kane stated. "I don't want to see you get hurt, and you must see this is something you have to do."

"If it means you'll help me to further assist in Shay's escape," Dani stated firmly. "I'm prepared to do it, but you have to promise me that you will help me to persuade Yussuf that going after the Commonwealth is pointless."

"It is," Kane offered with confidence. "So that shouldn't be too hard for me, they are in a mess, they are no threat to us and never have been, and if they are going after that World Ship, then we're best as far away from them as possible," Kane said with authority.

Dani noticeably tensed, and for a split second she had second thoughts about Seamus's welfare.

"He'll be ok, they'll keep him out of trouble," Kane assured her. "We'd best go and pick a fight, and you have a date with my fist knocking you out," Kane said all too brightly, and with an arm around her shoulders, Kane led Dani from the side room.

TBC


	38. Part 38

Part 38

It felt like he had been travelling, and had been away for a very long while, some place else and he was tired now, but at the same time he felt rested and relaxed, and he was home. Harper opened his eyes but saw nothing, there was nothing to see and panic set in for a moment, he remembered being somewhere with Dani, and then he remembered pain, endless tormented pain, but he had no idea where he was now. There was something however that he did begin to pick up, a familiarity that also incorporated a feeling of safety.

"Harper?" Trance's voice then appeared from nowhere, but Harper couldn't speak as his thoughts contemplated this new information, how could he respond when he felt a sudden disappointment deep within, a betrayal? Now he felt guilty for feeling disappointment when he was hearing his close friend's voice for the first time after nearly a week of hell, a voice he trusted.

Harper could feel that something was covering his eyes, and it was soothing. He tried to find something to say but his mind was filled with the realisation that Dani had left him, probably alone, she had done that, she had walked away and left him, and the despair was felt deep inside.

"Harper, speak to me, can you hear me?" Trance persisted.

"Please, don't tell me he's deaf as well," Beka's concerned voice now sounded, and Harper felt his stomach twist. He was home, and he was supposed to be happy, but he was torn. He didn't want to be alone again, to go back to just being single old Harper who only fixed ships to get his kicks, he wanted Dani by his side, he needed her touch to calm him. What had she done to him that made him feel like this?

"I have no indication from the scans that his hearing has been affected," Trance continued to speak, her voice laced with concern. "He could be too traumatised to speak, after all that happened to him, Beka, look at him," Trance's voice sounded so sorrowful. "We have to give him time."

Harper felt someone touching his arm but he had no idea who, and he remained silent in his continued torment, even though a part of him wanted to reassure his friends that he was there, that he could hear them but right in that moment he just couldn't. He was still blind, he still couldn't feel his hand and now he felt alone, abandoned, an ex-slave the lowest of the low, and how could he resume his life on the Andromeda without sight and the use of his hand? It was over, the dream had been destroyed, and Harper knew it was the end, he had lost everything.

Beka moved around Harper, looking at him closely, almost believing he could hear them. Looking at her friend her heart sank, his face was beaten, even with the work Trance had already done he still looked rough and his eyes, Beka took a deep breath. She had seen the burn marks around his eyes that confirmed to her what she had already known before Trance had told her of his blindness, she'd seen kick back weapon injuries in her time, and she knew Harper would be lucky to see again. Then his hand, paralysed, possibly beyond repair, and Beka reached down to touch Harper's arm, she had to somehow let him know she was there for him, and nothing would move her.

"Seamus," she spoke softly, Trance had moved away and Beka finally had some time alone with her friend. "Thank you," she began. "I wasn't freed by Yussuf, I was sent to a camp, and because you didn't cause trouble, I remained safe, so thank you," Beka offered, though it felt lame to say something like that, to look at Harper and the injuries he had suffered and here she was thanking him for not doing anything to cause her more harm.

To Beka's surprise Harper moved his head slightly, a slight flinch in his expression, and she took encouragement from this action. "You're safe now, and you'll be ok, you're home so don't worry about anything, I won't leave you and we'll do everything we can to get you back on your feet, ok?"

As if reading his thoughts, Harper heard Beka, heard her voice and he trusted that voice and it was as if a haze had lifted from his mind in that moment. He needed to hear her words, he needed to believe them, and he started to consider her sentiment. He could feel her touch, and as with Dani he found it comforting, and he needed to feel comfort.

"Beka," Harper spoke, his voice dry.

Beka was quick to react and she took a glass of water from the side and put it to Harper's lips. "Drink, then speak," Beka calmly spoke, and she watched as Harper silently complied. Beka replaced the cup before turning her full attention back to Harper. With his eyes covered by a bandage, it was hard to know what Harper was feeling at that moment, so with her hand she now stroked his hair that was slowly growing from the forced cut, to reassure him that she was right there. "It's good to have you back," she said with honesty.

"Andromeda?" Harper simply asked.

"You're home," Beka confirmed.

"How long?" Harper needed to know how long it had been since Dani had left him.

"We found you yesterday, Dylan got the information from Dani," Beka spoke and saw the needy reaction from Harper to that girl's name, his body tensing slightly. "She left you in some ditch, you could have been found by anyone but thankfully Dylan reached you in time," Beka affectionately continued to stroke his hair. "But it was close, and we almost lost Rhade to Yussuf, he only just made it back, but none of that matters now that we're all back on board the Andromeda," Beka explained, it all seemed to have happened so quickly. "Dani is no longer your problem, ok? She was messing with your head all along, of that I have no doubt," she added with a touch of bitterness that once again she had seen a girl take advantage of her friend. "I never want that name mentioned again, we'll just forget about her," Beka instructed. "I'm so sorry I pushed you into helping me with her," she added with obvious regret.

Harper moved his head to the side, and realised that somewhere along the line Dani had fallen out of favour again with Beka, and his heart sank. Not only had he lost Dani, but now Beka would do everything in her power to force him to forget and move on, but Harper wasn't ready for that, and he had nothing to move on to, his life was worthless and over.

"Seamus?" Beka now prompted him to react. "I know you've been through hell but you're safe now, amongst friends."

Harper couldn't give her anything that she needed from him, and his unseeing eyes stared blankly, under the bandage and giving nothing away as to what he was feeling inside, the hurt, pain and confusions. He heard Beka continued to talk, idle chat now before Trance would return soon to no doubt run more tests, Harper no longer cared as he sunk deeper into his own depression and despair.

* * *

Dylan cut the communication and the Commonwealth insignia appeared on screen to signal that the line was gone. With a frown he sat back, having just received another grilling for being distracted by the main threat, the world ship was coming ever closer and he had even less time now to prepare.

"Andromeda, update me on Harper," Dylan now spoke.

"No change," Andromeda returned, and appeared in holographic form. "He is still blind, has no use of his left hand and is not reacting to any of the crew, we suspect he is aware of us but chooses to remain in his own thoughts."

"What is that?" Dylan asked with confusion. "Depression, trauma?" he questioned.

"Possibly both," Andromeda suggested. "His injuries were extreme and even now we have no way of knowing if he will make a full recovery, or a recovery of any kind."

"I don't believe that Mr Harper is a lost cause," Dylan stated firmly.

"Trance is working around the clock to try and fix the problems," Andromeda returned.

Dylan got to his feet and heard the door chime sound, and he looked at Andromeda for confirmation of who was waiting.

"Beka wishes to speak to you," Andromeda revealed and then on Dylan's gesture she opened the door for the blonde captain.

"Dylan," Beka greeted, she looked tired, harassed and on a mission as she strode into the room. "I want to speak to you about Harper."

Dylan nodded towards Andromeda who blinked out of sight and he offered a seat to Beka, but remained standing himself.

"Go on," Dylan requested, as Beka sat down.

Beka seemed to consider her words before speaking. "I want confirmation that Harper still has a place on this crew."

"Why wouldn't he?" Dylan asked, he was a little surprised by the question, the thought that Harper would not resume duties at some point hadn't even occurred to him.

"He's blind, crippled, traumatised," Beka reeled off. "I just need to know that you are in no way doubting him."

"Not at all, I have full faith in Harper to bounce back from this, Trance tells me that she can help him, and I trust her," Dylan assured Beka. "So right now he's blind, but we have the resources on board to give him the support he'll need, so long as he's willing to make the adjustment."

Beka frowned. "That's what I'm afraid of, Dylan," she sighed now. "He seems to have no desire to help himself, he's uttered just a few words since waking up and half the time I have no idea if he is awake or not."

"Give him time," Dylan advised.

"I just fear that he's going to do something stupid," Beka admitted. "Remember how he was after the infestation, and now imagine it ten times worse and we have Harper right this moment on med deck."

"That bad?" Dylan asked, having not realised the full extent of Harper's mind set. "What do you want me to do?"

"Go visit him, Dylan," Beka asked. "He's tired of listening to me and Trance, and whether he believes us or not, he needs to hear it from you," Beka requested. "We need something to snap him out of his self exile, and we think you can do that."

Dylan wasn't totally surprised, as ships captain he had often been called upon in the past, before the fall, to give encouraging pats on backs to low morale crew, in fact he made it his mission to not have to wait to be asked, and know who needed that informal friendly chat. A twist in his gut revealed his guilt that he had not realised sooner that he could help Harper, and he moved to the door.

"Let's go talk to him now," Dylan simply said, and Beka stood up to walk with him to med deck.

"Thanks for doing this," Beka spoke as they walked.

"You don't have to thank me, I should have visited him sooner, I just didn't want to get in the way," Dylan admitted, and then remembered finding Harper and the shock he had felt on seeing the engineer in the small alcove, hidden so well from the surrounding area, Dani had chosen a good hiding place, so good that Dylan had almost missed him and had taken a while to find Harper.

"It shook you up, didn't it?" Beka then glanced at Dylan and she knew that she was right. "Finding Harper in the state you did."

Dylan tried to look calm but it was clear that he had been shocked. "I was expecting a few bruises, maybe some weight loss, I wasn't surprised to see him unconscious, but I wasn't expecting quite the damage he sustained."

"Those marks all over his body, he got the rougher deal with the acid showers," Beka spoke from experience. "He got more beatings, I don't think there was any let up from the Nietzscheans in their treatment of Harper."

Dylan took a deep breath, the reality too much to comprehend. "Is he free of the slave tag?"

"Someone removed the chip, not with much care but he's clean," Beka returned. "It's going to leave a mark," she sighed and shook her head, and she struggled for a moment, knowing what that mark would mean to Harper.

"Beka?" Dylan questioned not understanding her sudden sadness.

"If he wants to die, if he has suicidal thoughts, you know, I wouldn't blame him right this minute," Beka reasoned, her voice shallow.

"He has so much to live for, Beka," Dylan tried to object.

"I know that," Beka was quick to speak. "I know that he can bounce back, he's amazing like that but it's convincing him that he can," Beka offered and then frowned. "I've heard him speak, Dylan, about slaves and about his own views on them and now he's been one of them, this is going to take a lot of work to bring him back from."

"His prejudices," Dylan remembered. "Well we'll just have to keep working on him until he realises that he can bounce back from this," Dylan spoke and then put a hand on Beka's shoulder. "I think Harper will be fine, I know he gets down but he'll be ok, and he has the best people possible looking after him, in Trance and you," Dylan smiled on seeing Beka's reaction, she seemed to take comfort in his words.

They walked onto Med Deck and before they reached Harper, they both suddenly became aware of the battle stations alert sounding, and Rhade's voice quickly came over the ship wide communications.

"We are under attack, ten ships have just entered the system, all Yussuf pride and they are demanding the return of their slave, Seamus Harper," Rhade's voice sounded with urgency.

"This will have to wait, sorry," Dylan offered to Beka, and quickly turned on his heels. "I'm on my way, Rhade, let them know that they have no slave named Seamus Harper, he's commonwealth and no slave, and let them know that with volley of missiles."

Beka watched Dylan race out of command, and his sentiments in his reaction warmed her, and as she looked over to Harper, she caught his head for a moment turned to her direction, before he resumed looking upwards. With a sigh, Beka knew she had to assist on command, even though Dylan hadn't requested it, and she left med deck with a heavy heart, but all too ready to beat the crap out of Yussuf's ships.

* * *

The room was dark and intimidating, she was alone and had never felt it so much before, and she didn't know why. There was pain, a slight pain in her head and she struggled to remember something that she knew was important.

Dani then heard the light knock at her door and looked up to see Kane now leaning into the door frame. There was a moment of silence, and Dani could see Kane looking at her carefully before he spoke.

"How are you feeling?" Kane asked softly.

"Ok, I think," Dani responded.

"You're sounding a lot more like yourself," Kane observed and slowly moved forward.

"I don't understand," Dani spoke now, confusion clear in her expression. "I was on the Andromeda, and now," she began until Kane silenced her.

"We rescued you, it was a close call but we got you back," Kane answered. "You'll remember the details soon enough."

"The ship was under attack, I was in a corridor, it was falling apart around us, he was trying to help me," Dani remembered, her memories felt more sketchy than usual, but she couldn't understand why.

Kane sighed on hearing her mention someone on the ship, the he Kane guessed referred to the kludge Dani had fallen for, the reason why she was now like this again, with her mind scrambled to Yussuf's will. "Dani, you know better than to try and force your memories, relax and let's start planning our next mission."

"What happened to the Andromeda?" Dani asked.

"We got lucky," Kane partly smiled. "Just a couple of hours ago it was reported that the Andromeda had been destroyed, we took one last run at it for what they did to you."

Dani showed sudden sadness, though Kane suspected she didn't really know why, but he knew it was possible that in the coming days she would remember what she had with the kludge she called Shay.

"No one survived?" Dani asked her voice low.

"No one," Kane confirmed, and he showed her a pre-prepared flexi that showed the Andromeda exploding under an attack by Yussuf's best fighters. "So you are to put it all behind you now and move on to the next mission, we're going to make you low key for a while, its clear by the commonwealth's interest in you that you are in danger, so don't be surprised if you're doing a lot of underground work for the next few months."

Dani just nodded her head, as if to understand, but Kane knew that she was still fighting the procedure that the doctor had happily reassigned to her brain. Inside he too felt sadness of a different kind, Dani was an intriguing addition to the Yussuf pride, a spark of difference to the people around him, and he always enjoyed spending time with her, and it was sad to see her returning back to the confused individual again.

"You better prep me for my next mission then," Dani then announced, as if finding her feet again, shaking away the confusion in a blink of an eye, and Kane now knew that their Dani had truly been returned to them.

* * *

Beka walked into Harper's quarters and stopped, she wasn't sure what she had been expecting but a small part of her just wanted to see Harper back on his feet, working away at something or other, smiling that cheeky grin as he tried to think up new ways to get Trance or Rommie to take him up on his advances. Instead she saw Harper alone, caught up in his own thoughts and ignoring the outside world, sat in a chair in his quarters, unmoving, unseeing, he hadn't even been able to raise a smile to Trance for freeing him from the confines of the med deck.

It was tough to look at him, his eyes open but not able to see her, and Beka found herself wondering what it was truly like to be without sight. His eyes stared at the ground, unmoving, just staring and only occasionally blinking. Since Trance had removed the dressing, it had unnerved Beka to be able to see his eyes, knowing he couldn't see with them himself. The burns around his eyes from the weapon discharge had all but healed, Harper was looking as fresh faced as she remembered him, but his hand was still paralysed and encased in a custom built cast to protect it, and his eyes, Beka could only frown.

She could hear the music, Harper had his head phones covering his ears and it was loud enough that Beka could almost catch the tune he was listening to. Beka shook her head, wondering if Harper was trying to ruin his hearing along with his sight, but his actions only further proved to her that Harper was trying to escape his existence by tuning himself out. With the music blaring, Harper had no way of acknowledging the real world and it hurt her to see him like this, so willing to give up and let go.

Beka then caught the whiff of alcohol and she quickly moved to the box by Harper's side. He wasn't so useless as to not be able to find his stash of beer in his quarters and she inwardly cursed Trance for not checking his room first, and now that she was closer to Harper, Beka could tell from his sitting position that he was the worse for wear.

"Seamus," Beka said under her breath, knowing that there was no way he could hear her. "I'm willing to bet this was not on Trance's medical list for drugs for you to consume," she continued talking to herself, checking the empty bottles. "Ok, soldier," Beka then declared and she lightly touched Harper's hand, she was annoyed with him but not enough to give the guy a heart attack with any sudden movements around him, he'd have no idea she was there, and that she was so close.

"Seamus, time to give the music a rest," Beka announced still holding his hand, and then she moved her hands to his headphones, all the while making it clear what her intention was, and she was glad to see little resistance to her removing the music from his ears.

Harper now closed his eyes to the silence, and Beka waited to see if he would offer any further reaction. When he didn't, Beka took hold of his hand again and began to talk, like she had been doing since he had first woken up.

"Harper, drink is not the answer," Beka said with care, bringing her hand to his face, the only contact she could make now was actual physical touch and she made that she did so with care. "We need you, Harper, you may find that hard to believe but we do."

Harper seemed agitated by her presence but he didn't push her away or resist her touch. "Please, Seamus, now you're up and on your feet again, I need you to look at Rommie, we've tried to figure out the problem but we can't get her operational."

"Problem with Rommie?" Harper suddenly spoke, and Beka was caught out by his sudden attention to her, after so many hours of silence.

"She overloaded, whilst saving my butt from the prison camp," Beka explained.

"Prison camp?" Harper repeated, showing how much he had zoned out, and not listened to her rambles.

Beka sensed a break through, and saw his confusion to her words and persisted. "Harper, will you check Rommie for me, I know your still sick, still recovering," Beka looked at him with a frown. "Still drunk," she added. "But there must be something you can do to help Rommie."

Harper brought his good hand up to his head, obviously starting to feel some of the effects of the drink he had consumed. "I don't know," Harper then admitted, as doubt seeped into his actions, he was becoming hesitant.

So little words, but they hurt Beka a lot, it was not often that Harper gave up before at least trying. Feeling a static buzz momentarily beside her, Beka glanced around to see that she had been joined by Andromeda's hologram self.

"Harper," Rommie spoke clearly, and Harper seemed to sit up slightly to the new voice, it had thrown him slightly. "I need my avatar, we all need my avatar and you can help, you just don't see it yet."

"Yeah, being blind is a bit of a bitch," Harper partly snapped, as he huddled up again in his chair, cutting himself off once more with his body language.

"Rommie needs you, Harper," Beka persisted.

"Well what about me?" Harper suddenly found some strength in his voice. "Who do I need, why don't I tell you who I need?" Harper stopped suddenly as images of Dani consumed him, enough to make Harper unable to finish his words. Even though he couldn't see, he slowly began to guess the reactions his outburst had had on Beka and Holo Rommie.

"Your friends, Harper, you need us, that's all," Beka spoke sincerely.

Harper's hand began to rub his forehead, a nervous action and it soon became clearer that his emotions were rising. His face began to crease, and Harper's body slightly shook as Beka heard the first stifled sobs from her friend.

"Seamus," Beka said with fondness, and she knew that she had never seen him like this, Beka glanced at Rommie and it was enough of a sign that she wished the hologram to leave, and give them privacy. Beka moved beside Harper, and she wrapped her arms around him, settling down beside him. "It's going to be ok, I promise, don't give up, please," Beka spoke, her own emotions wavering in reaction to seeing her friend like this.

"I loved her," Harper spoke softly, his voice racked with emotion, speaking between uncontrolled sobs. "I didn't want to leave, I wanted to stay, I didn't want to come back, I didn't care," he admitted between breaths, as the tears continued to fall and in that moment Beka couldn't help but feel as though she was comforting a child, as Seamus let go of his emotions in her comforting hold.

His confession of love almost killed her to hear, had he not seen what Dani had done to him, and now he was talking of love? Beka held him tighter, knowing now they had more of a task on their hands, she had never seen Harper so cut up about a girl before, and she feared it like nothing else at that moment.

It was a few minutes later that Beka chose to respond, having allowed Harper to allow his troubled mind clear through his emotions. "Harper, you're free now and whatever happened in the past week, I know it's been close to your personal hell."

"No," Harper surprised Beka by objecting so calmly. "The past week has been the best week," he countered, with a slightly ironic if emotionless laugh.

"Harper, stop messing with me," Beka lightly requested, but she was unsure of whether he was being sarcastic or truthful.

"Seriously," Harper simply said to answer her, quietly and without explanation.

"Harper, how can you say that?" Beka questioned. "You do not look like a man who has just lived the best week of his life."

"I look like a man who's lost everything," Harper said coldly.

"But you haven't," Beka insisted and she moved around slightly, so that she could face Harper now. "You have us, Harper, and you have this ship, and more importantly you have your freedom."

"What good is freedom to me?" Harper argued.

Beka wanted to both cry and yell with frustration, but resisted the urge. She lightly ran her hand through his hair again, showing him as much affection as she dared, as she moved closer. "Harper, talk to me, tell me what they did to you."

Harper immediately made noises that clearly told Beka he wasn't prepared to talk as he squirmed slightly from her touch, and he looked away with his face wearing a scowl.

"When you arrived here, you were pretty beat up," Beka remembered. "It seemed you experienced a lot more than just the cleansing and lashing after I left," Beka spoke, trying to encourage Harper to take up the rest.

"I was a slave," Harper simply said, his voice harsh sounding, a touch of shame about his body language now. Beka put her hand on his shoulder, comforting him as best she could. "I just did what they said," he offered awkwardly, and with defeat in his voice. "I tried my best," he added with a shrug.

"You didn't fight it?" Beka asked, a little taken aback, she had simply imagined that Harper would have fought the decision to make him a slave.

"Why bother? No one listens to slaves, to us, no one cares what we think," Harper spoke, all the while facing away from her, and his voice carried a tone she hadn't heard before in Harper. It was a tone that seemed to speak from experience, bad experience but it was the first time she had ever heard Harper refer to himself as a slave and that shook her.

Harper was now biting as his nails, clearly uncomfortable as he spoke but he made no movement to move away or stop the discussion.

"Harper, I'm listening to you, and you are not a slave, being tagged for a few days does not make you a slave, Seamus," Beka said with determination.

"Once a slave always a slave," Harper simply responded.

"Listen to me," Beka now instructed with force. "Seamus Harper is not a slave, you got unlucky, tagged for a few days unfairly, but you are not a slave, you have to believe that!" Beka stressed loudly.

"Is that an order?" Harper asked and his voice was laced with bitterness, and Beka found that his tone had almost caused her to slap him, but she managed to stop herself just before she went through with it.

Taking a moment to calm down, Beka frowned. "Harper, I can only help you so much, the rest is up to you, you have to help yourself before you can do anything else and this attitude, it's going to send you down, not up."

Harper's expression changed slightly, but not enough for Beka to be convinced that he was taking her advice.

"Look, I know you're in pain, and that you have experienced I don't what at the hands of Yussuf and his friends," Beka gestured helplessly. "I was there too for a time, so I know this first hand and have the scars on my back to prove it," she stated and noted Harper reacting to the last bit. "But you're back now, whether you like it or not and we are not going to let you simply kill yourself because of that tyrants work, so don't expect us to just leave you alone."

Harper took a deep breath, noticeably more sober now and able to sit up as he adjusted his sitting position. Slowly and with some effort, shrugging away Beka's attempts to help him, Harper got to his feet. Unsteady at first, lacking the confidence he needed, Harper moved slowly forward, his feet and hands reaching out to detect any obstructions before him, until he reached Beka who simply held onto his arms to acknowledge him.

"You see that?" Harper then asked with defiance in his voice.

"That was great, Harper, you did that, the first steps," Beka encouraged, it was the most that she had seen him move since his return.

"Yeah," Harper mocked. "And when the Magog swarm ships come out of the slip stream, attach themselves to the hull, and I need to get from command to the slip stream drive to save our sorry asses, I'll be a great freaking help won't I?" he snapped angrily.

Beka closed her eyes, thankful that Harper couldn't see her reaction to his words, as she tried to think of a response, and finally it dawned on her. "I thought you were a freaking genius, Harper," Beka stated with authority. "I thought you could do anything?"

"Yeah, with working eyes and working hands," Harper argued, ready for the fight but with some hesitation to Beka's reaction, he had thought his argument was strong enough.

Beka shifted her hands to his shoulders, needing to get his attention. "You, Harper, you have beaten the odds before so why not now? You made time travel possible, you made enough gadgets to make this ship survive countless times when it shouldn't have, but you can't make yourself see again, you can't work around a healing hand?" Beka questioned, her voice daring him to object. "Think, Harper, think, and you know there's a way and I bet that brain of yours has already thought up theories, you wouldn't be Seamus Harper if it hadn't."

Harper shifted in Beka's hold. "Maybe," he admitted awkwardly, but seemed to want to stay in denial to her words.

"I knew it," Beka declared with joy. "So what's keeping you from trying out your theories?"

Harper looked down suddenly, and then he glanced at Beka. "Would you," he began but stopped, he was clearly uncomfortable asking.

"How about I take you to the machine shop and you can make a start on those theories?" Beka offered, knowing it was what Harper was having difficulty asking.

"They might not work," Harper then spoke, the doubt returning, but Beka was already leading him from his quarters.

"Then at least you can say you tried, and if you don't mind being labelled a failure than so long as your happy, I'll be happy," Beka stated, allowing some mind games into proceedings. "I just refused to see you not even try," she added and they continued to walk, Beka then showed her surprise when Harper instinctively made the turn towards the machine shop without her prompt at a corridor junction. "Harper, do you even need me to guide you?" she asked.

Harper stopped and seemed to catch up with himself, and his expression showed that he had only just realised what he had done. "I guess I've done this walk a lot," he offered, a little shocked now. "I was picturing it in my head, I just knew to turn there," he added with disbelief.

Beka embraced Harper now affectionately. "Which only further proves that this is not as bad as you think, you can get through this, Harper, but you have to want it and I know you can do this."

"I'll get back to you on that, I'm not sure what I want," Harper spoke evenly, and something deep down seemed to tell him that Beka didn't like that answer, he could almost sense her frown. "But I'll work on that too," he added with resignation.

"We all need you Harper, and if Yussuf hadn't rudely interrupted us yesterday with his stupid circus act games, Dylan would have told you the same thing," Beka assured him. "And Rommie needs you more than anything right now, so do what you can, that's all we ask."

Harper nodded his head, knowing that he was slowly coming around to Beka's way of thinking however stubborn he tried to remain about it, he liked his depression, it was all snug and warm but the reality was unrelenting, and he knew that he wouldn't be allowed to just disappear. Beka was right, he could fix this temporarily, and he did have some options to try, and the basics of those plans were already figured out in his head. He wouldn't be Seamus Harper if they weren't already there inside him, ready, planned, formulated and ready to be processed.

With a new strength, that was slowly building Seamus Harper knew that he may only have the one working hand, but he had done many a job with the one hand on a sparky cola before, and deep down he knew that he could do this, Harper suddenly began to brighten.

"Harper?" Beka's voice spoke up with slight concern at his silence.

"I'm good," Harper offered, and even found the briefest of smiles. "I'll go fix things, do what I always do, save your butts and mine," he mocked now. "Go give Rommie some new lines," he shrugged.

Beka couldn't help the beaming smile in reaction, smiling and joking in such quick succession could only mean that Harper had turned a corner, in more ways than one, and she only wished that Harper could have seen her reaction for himself, she put her arm around his shoulders and they continued to walk towards the machine shop allowing the past week, and the mission, to stay firmly behind them.

The end


End file.
